Falling in Love with the Enemy
by wish-upon-a-fanfic
Summary: The Blue Spirit didn't expect or want to fall in love with the watertribe girl, but he continues to seek her trust when she finally finds out who he really is. ZUTARA
1. Chapter 1

She stepped out onto the balcony and gripped the cold wooden frame. Her undone hair whipped around her head and in the faint glow of the moon, Katara gazed at the stars longingly. She smiled up at them as if they were her friends. They were very close to it though. They had guided her through her boredom. They had kept her company all night, when Aang and Sokka were off doing "manly" things.

"What manly things could they do in the rock walls of Ba Seng Se?" Katara whispered tiredly. Her eyes drooped and the wind had stopped whispering. It was so quiet. So peaceful…

She was falling in a cocoon of darkness. Her stomach didn't constrict, which was odd. She was actually enjoying herself. She decided it was because she knew someone would catch her. She could feel her presence at the bottom. She felt smaller. And then she realized she was younger. Much younger. She was maybe five. She looked down and she could barely make out the tall, smiling water bender at the bottom. Katara screamed and groped forward for something to stop her from falling. There was nothing. The last thing she saw was a burst of fire and her mother lying on the floor, the life gone from her soft blue eyes.

When Katara woke up, she was shocked for a split second. She hadn't really woken up, or at least, she couldn't have, she was still falling. Then it hit her. She was awake and hurtling towards the crowd below. People were already looking up and pointing. One man was running towards the ground that she would hit. In a matter of seconds she would die. She closed her eyes.

The ground never came. She felt two arms wrapped around her. Her eyes flew open and she looked around. She was alive, and she was lying in a man's open arms. He was looking down at her, but she couldn't see his face. He was wearing a mask. That was odd. It was a smiling blue and white mask. She liked it. It was a water bender mask. She could tell by the way it was crafted. She didn't care, he had saved her. He tilted her feet to the ground and she touched the soft dirt that she had just a few seconds later had wished wasn't there. She swayed alarmingly and he caught her fore arm. She looked up at him again.

"Thank you!" she said genuinely. He nodded and moved on. She was caught by surprise. She wanted him to stay.

"Sir!" she called, running after him. He looked behind him and saw her coming. She smiled. Finally. She really did not want to run bare foot through the streets of the crowded earth kingdom city. But instead he turned and bolted for the nearest alley.

"Oh no you don't!" she whispered, more to herself than the surprised onlookers. She also ran for the alley. She saw him duck behind down another street. She ran there and looked around. He was smart. There were crowds and crowds of shoppers Everywhere you looked, you could see giggling girls and nodding men. Instead of thrusting herself into the dangerous hordes of people, she looked around, studying every place that a person could hide. Finally she saw the mask. It was hidden beneath a shipment of crates. Crates, which were filled with blue fabric. Strong, smart, clever, this guy was not the normal earth kingdom tourist. She ran to the crates. She reached for the mask and saw that the person wearing it was not to be found. A man stepped in front of her.

"Sorry little girl. This isn't everyday fabric. You can't get blue just everywhere," he stated this importantly. It was only after that he noticed her blue dress.

"Well, _that_ is _my_ mask. And that isn't an ordinary mask. You can't get it just everywhere," she said pointing towards the laughing blue and white mask.

"Oh, well, why didn't you say so!" the man said, his big belly shaking dangerously.

He grabbed it and held it out to her. She once again reached for it. He snatched it back.

"That'll be one gold piece," he said malevolently. Katara considered the water whip, but decided against it. That wouldn't be fun.

"Sir, I will give you two gold pieces. One, for the mask, and another, if you would deliver it to my apartment. It's right next to the King's chambers on the 5th floor. It's the guest of honor's room." While she way explaining this, she watched with glowing happiness as the man's face turned four shades paler.

"No charge, go ahead and take it," he said quickly and thrust the mask at her, and by doing so, admitting his defeat.

While she walked away she studied the mask carefully. Something seemed so familiar about it. It was almost frightening…

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Zuko knew he had to get to the avatar. He needed to make a truce. As much as it burned him to admit it, even in his own mind, he knew it was true. He had it all planned out. He would walk around the city in his mask, which from a recent discovery, was pasted on a very accurate poster explaining his criminal past from saving the avatar, to a murder in a deserted alley, to simple things like robbing a man selling cabbages. It was funny, but more importantly, perfect for his plan. After walking around for awhile, he would be caught and sent to jail. If he would just act like the incapable banished prince that everyone thought he was, he knew that the avatar would demand to see him. Then the fateful moment that Uncle always said would happen. He only way it could backfire was if the earth kingdom He walked around buildings and shops. He walked down alleys and in front of crowds. He walked everywhere, but with absolutely no luck. He was furious.

"Uncle was wrong! This will never work!" he told himself as he walked in front of a group of earth soldiers. They wouldn't stop him if he was running with a purse. He decided to do just that. He spotted over to a crowd. He knew he would find a lady with a purse there. He noticed they were all gasping and pointing towards something in the air. He looked up to see a girl falling from a balcony. Without thinking he stepped below her just in time and caught her. She looked around bewildered and he set her down. She looked drunk by the way she tripped. He caught her and she looked up. She said something he couldn't hear. He had stopped listening.

She was the avatar's friend. She was the girl that he had threatened so many times. She was the girl Uncle always called "that pretty water girl". He shivered. He turned and hurried away.

"Sir!" she called. He glanced back. It was her again. If he stopped, she would want to talk to him. He couldn't talk. That would be risking his identity to one of only three people in this entire city he didn't want to know that he was there. He turned around and ran for his life. He could hear her footsteps following him. He ducked in an alley, trying to lose her. She followed. He remembered going down this alley. The busiest street was just ahead. If he could just reach it before she caught him. He threw himself into the nearest crowd. He felt a weight lift off. And he didn't mean it like Uncle's proverbs. His mask flew off out of the crowd. He cursed, and the old ladies surrounding him shook their heads.

"They think they are all so grown up!"

"His father was probably the same way!"

He pushed his way through he crowd. He looked behind him. To his horror, the girl had his mask and was walking back down the alley.

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A/N- I am a newcomer. My sis does the same thing, and I thought it might be fun. I am gonna try and keep up with her, but she is pretty darn good, so I am just doing this for fun. By the way her pen name is dream royale, so check her stories out! They are awesome. Give me reviews, good or bad!


	2. Chapter 2

Katara decided to not show Sokka and Aang the mysterious mask. She didn't know exactly why, but she did know that this was one small way to get revenge. If they just would've taken her along on their nightly outings, she just could have shown them the mask and recounted the story of how she was saved, and how she chased her savior down alleys until all she could find was his mask. It would have made them gasp in wonder, and they would ask her to tell it again, but she would refuse. She walked down the halls of the earth building and into her room. She lay down on her soft bed and closed her eyes, her arms wrapped around the mask. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how he had held her, like he loved and cared for her safety, rather than being a nice guy who would've done that for anyone…

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Zuko was furious. That mask was important for his mission.

"Just buy another one Prince Zuko," Uncle had said as Zuko told him why he had returned and why he was not eating hard bread and cold mush in a jail cell.

"Uncle," Zuko began patiently, "If I buy another one, then my identity as the Blue Spirit will be ruined. I need that mask because…" Zuko held his breath for five seconds, then released it, "…..because if I don't, I won't be recognized as the criminal from the poster!" Zuko burst the last part out. His Uncle was considered the most brilliant man in the fire nation, and yet around Zuko he seemed like a crazy old man, who was only interested in food, tea, and younger woman.

"Zuko!" Iroh called out.

Zuko awoke quickly.

"I know," Zuko said. He hated it when he seemed like Uncle's pupil. He wasn't to be bossed around anymore.

Iroh sighed.

"I was saying that you need to either steal the mask back," at this Zuko's eyes lit up, "Or get another mask, and commit a **small** crime," Zuko noticed how his Uncle emphasized 'small'.

Zuko thought about it. He wouldn't admit it, but the mask brought back memories. Iroh's own son, Lu Ten, Zuko's cousin, had given it to him when Zuko was a boy. It was sentimental, and important. He knew that if he told Iroh, Iroh would get in that emotional fatherly act that his own father never had.

"I am going to get that mask back," Zuko said suddenly.

"Alright then!" Iroh said slapping his knee, "First thing tomorrow morn-."

"No, I am getting it tonight."

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Katara woke up and looked around. Someone was in her room. She could feel a presence lurking somewhere.

"Momo?" she whispered into the dark. The lemur had been known to look after her when she was sleeping. He and Appa were always there for her. She liked them better than stars. She strained her eyes.

"Momo?" she whispered harshly.

Two big round eye opened from her table. She sighed. She got up and lit a candle. Sure enough, there he was, standing on her table, eating leechee nuts.

"Momo you scared me! Are Sokka and Aang home?" Momo stared up at her.

"I didn't expect you to know…" Katara said tiredly and she sat to practice some water bending. When she first arrived, the king asked them if there was anything that they might need. Aang had blushed and said honestly, "Money." Sokka had drooled and said "Food!" and Katara asked for a bowl of fresh spring water every day, to be set on a table in the middle of her room. The king did not question this. He sent a maid to do Katara's bidding, and on the first day, it was delivered along with her wake-up call. The maid sat in wonder as Katara bended the water out of the bowl, and practiced. Then and there, Katara told the maid that she didn't have to clean her room everyday, because all she needed was water and she would be happy.  
A scream from Momo awoke Katara from her day dreaming. The water had drifted over to her candle, and before she could move it, there was a soft hiss and they were enveloped in darkness.

"Oh well," Katara said.

"I was going to sleep anyway." She gently let the water slip back into the bowl and then she stumbled back to her bed. This time, she couldn't fall asleep. Thoughts of the blue mask swam around in her mind. If only she knew who he was. She knew it was a man. His stride and run had told her. And even though she knew woman could do anything men could, she knew he was a man because of his muscles. They were tensed and ready, but also gentle. Maybe he had left his mask for her, knowing that she would find it. Maybe….

Another sound. A shuffling of a boot.

"Sokka, Aang?"

"Sorry Katara," Aang said, as he lit the candle.

"Thought you were asleep," he said sheepishly.

"I _was_," Katara lied. She loved him like a brother, but he really annoyed her sometimes. She had been reliving the moment when he had caught her…

"So what have you been up to?" Aang asked, completely forgetting the hurtful remark just thrown at him.

"Aang, I'm kinda tired. Do you mind-."

"Oh no! Go ahead and get some rest. I am just gonna sit with Momo awhile and make sure you aren't bothered anymore," Aang said, sitting in a corner.

"Oh, well alright," Katara said, not in the mood to deal with him. She took off her slippers and crawled into bed. They sat in an awkward silence; or rather it was Katara who was uncomfortable. Aang just sat on his chair staring at her. She tried to ignore him, but it did no good. She would never go to sleep.

"Aang?" she whispered.

"Ya?"

"I can't really go to asleep while someone's-."

"Watching you? Oh! No problem, I will just turn around." Aang turned in his chair and pet Momo. Katara turned around and tried to ignore him again. She tried to dream about the blue masked guy, but she couldn't. All that came up in her mind was Aang's laughing face. He and Momo, just laughing silently, at who knows what. It was so annoying. Katara didn't have to stand for this. It was her room. She sat up in bed.

"Aang, don't interupt me, but I am tired, and I just want my own room. I want to go to sleep knowing no one's watching me or laughing about something that I don't know about. Please, Aang, go to your room!"

He was silent for a moment. Then his mouth quivered and he ran from her room. Momo followed. When the door closed, the candle blew out.

"Great, now I can't go to bed because I have a guilty conscience!" she whispered to no one. She threw herself back and this time, her pillows didn't seem annoying or uncomfortable. They felt soft and welcoming. She closed her eyes and breathed in. In a matter of seconds she was asleep.

The door slammed open and Sokka emerged with his hands on his hips.

"Are you mad at Aang?" he asked. His voice seemed louder than usual.

"No, Sokka, please go away!" Katara said throwing her pillow over her face. She moaned when she heard his steps out the door. She listened carefully, he had walked out of the room, she was sure of it. She lifted the pillow off and screamed. Sokka was not inches from her face.

"Sokka you annoying….little…idiot!" she screamed at him. She wasn't very good at insults.

"You need to go and apologize before we all die of sleep deprivation!" he stormed out and turned down the hallway to his room. Katara thought about what he had said. She got out of bed. She knew she had to, it wasn't a pride issue. It was that she was tired! She could barely make her way down the hall. She stood in front of Aang's door. She knew that she would see a crying, little avatar, and she didn't want to. She made a wish that he would be okay when she walked through the door.

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Zuko climbed up the lattice on the side of the building. He had only found it out of memory, which was lucky for him, because he wouldn't have been able to find anyone to help him anyway. He had first seen it when he was walking by. The roses had failed to grow and attach themselves to the white wood, but they had spread along the bottom of the building, and for no particular reason, Zuko plucked the only one that had made its way up onto the actual wall. He stuck it in his belt and continued climbing. He saw her balcony from where he was. If only she wasn't in her room. For a split second, he pictured her brushing hr long dark hair. Lots of girls had long dark hair. That actual phrase is used way too often. Again, he wished with all his might that she wasn't in her room. She probably was. Zuko thought of his luck in the past. It always seemed he was a bad luck guy. He pictured her talking to the avatar in his room. He climbed on the balcony and from the moonlight he saw that she wasn't in her room. He slid open the doors and stepped inside…

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Katara opened the door and looked around. At first she didn't find him. Then she spotted him in a corner, weeping. She could tell by the way his shoulder's lurched every few seconds. He turned around to see who had come.

"Aang! You're not crying!" Katara rushed over to him and gave him a big hug.

"Why would I be?" Aang asked, obviously confused.

"Well, I was kinda mean to you earlier. And I came in here to apologize," Katara said. Sure she didn't have pride like Sokka's, but she did have pride. And it was hurting right now.

"Aang, my room is for me. I need me privacy, and I can't let you go in there and snoop around while I sleep."

He nodded solemnly.

"I know," he added, "I'm sorry too. I should have respected you for it."

"It's okay."

They talked for a little while. Then she returned back to her room.

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Zuko was in the peasant's room. He hated every bit of it. Not about the room. But about who lived in it. He never pictured himself doing this. Ransacking the avatar's friend's room had not been something he would have wanted. Before he could react, the door opened, and the girl stepped into the room. He stared through the slits in his new black cloth mask. She looked up and her eyes widened.

"What is it with guys and masks?"


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko and Katara stared in wonder at each other for what seemed like minutes. Katara wasn't nervous at all, which surprised her even more. She realized that she was baiting him to come back for the mask. She almost smiled to herself. She was a genius, but didn't even know it.

Zuko was amazed. He was so stupid. How could he have thought that in the middle of the night, when she wasn't in her room, that she wouldn't come back for a couple of hours? It was sheer luck that she wasn't in her room when he had come in, but it was stupidity that had caused this moment of uncomfortable silence. Something flickered across the girl's face, and then she sat in the chair beside her. Zuko took this as an invitation to go ahead.

"You'll never find it," Katara said boldly. She knew that it was him. The way he gently took her stuff out of the chest at the foot of her bed. The way he had stood with his shoulders back and his legs in a ready stance. He had to be a bender. She could feel the power emanating from his soul. He wasn't a water bender. His stance was not graceful, just powerful and he wasn't an earth bender. She remembered Haru. When he moved his feet to walk, his feet would pound the ground silently. This man walked with ease and a sort of tranquil step that she had seen rarely. He seemed relaxed and calm, if he was saving her life, or pillaging her room. She never saw that in Sokka or Aang. She tried to remember anyone who had walked like that. She didn't usually watch people walk. But then she remembered. The memory of Prince Zuko walking down the bridge between her home and his ship flitted across her mind. He had walked with a sort of step that showed what a stealthy fighter he was. She felt alarmed for a second, then relaxed. This was not Zuko. He was completely different.

Zuko felt like she was reading him. He wasn't used to this. He usually was unreadable. This annoyed him. It annoyed Zuko a lot. He ignored her comment to calm himself down and continued searching through the chest. There was blue everywhere. It was frustrating to get hopeful and then see that it was a dress or a pouch of water (she seemed to have a lot of those). Katara sat watching him intently, knowing that he would never find it. He should have realized that she was not the only person who loved being in her room. Sokka decided that Katara's room was the nicest of the three, so it would be their official hang-out until the moon had fully risen in the sky. She complained that it was only nice, because she kept it clean. Sokka pointed out that there were maids who cleaned her room much more thoroughly than Aang and his own. Katara gave up then. Sokka always had to get his way. It was his "duty" as the eldest of the trio. Give Sokka food and any type of power, large or small, and he will go crazy. She looked up and saw that the man had moved on from the chest. He was now in her closet.

"No! Excuse me! Get out of there!" she yelled. She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from the handle.

"My clothes are in there!" she exclaimed as he attempted to pry her hands off his. He couldn't believe he was touching her! It was bad enough catching her when she fell, but touching her without having to? He pulled away quickly as if she had burnt him. Katara felt hurt for a moment. They stood there, Zuko holding his hand, and Katara staring at the black hood, looking for some kind of hint of what lay behind it. She didn't know what she was doing until she did it. She reached up and for one terrifying moment he thought she was going to take off his hood, but she put her hand down and reached into a sack by her side. The mask emerged, and Zuko's stomach unclenched with relief. She closed her eyes and felt her way down his neck. She found the layer of cloth and pulled it up over his head. Zuko took a sharp breath, his stomach clenched again. Katara wanted nothing more to open her eyes and see a powerful, handsome bender, just as Aunt Woo predicted. But for some odd reason, she did not open her eyes. She had a horrible picture of a laughing Jet, saying her name over and over. She shuddered. She closed the mask over his face and tied it, then turned and sat down. She hated Jet. She knew she shouldn't stereo-type, but she didn' know anything about this masked man. She shouldn't let her guard down again. He could be just as much a fake as Jet.

"Just leave," she whispered. Her mind had defeated her heart.She felt a warm hand on her shoulder for a brief second, then she heard the slide of her window, and he was gone.

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A/N: Okay, I edited the ending of this one too. So I hope it's better. Tell me if I need to tweak it more. Thanks for teh reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

She awoke and rubbed her eyes. She looked up expecting to see Momo there, but he was not. She was alone. She let her head fall.She regretted telling him to go. She had found his presence, almost comforting? She stood and looked around once again.

For a brief moment, she wondered what he was doing at this very moment. She stood and walked over to the balcony. Rain pounded on the door. She knew the stars had given her this gift because they wanted to comfort her, but for the first time in her life, she didn't want rain. She had just realized there was someone watching her.

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Zuko perched on the balcony across from the girl's. He was truly scared. He had felt something in the bottom of his stomach when she turned and told him to leave. He felt sympathy and, something similar to love and care. He would have said he didn't like it, but he would be lying. It reminded him of his mother. He would have liked to say that it was just a weird feeling of sympathy, but it wasn't. He had to admit it. He almost seemed to want to comfort her. He watched her with growing confusion. His heart told him to go and talk to her, but his mind told him to stay away. But he couldn't help it. Hisstomach wobbled dangerouslyas she looked up. She opened the door and stepped outside, watching him the whole time.

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She watched with growing interest as he climbed down the building and went to the bottom of hers. She knew he wouldn't be able to climb up. Wherever he had come up before was too slippery now that it was raining. She was sure of it. For some unexplainable reason, she wanted him to fail. She didn't feel like talking to him. She didn't feel like talking to anyone.

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Zuko wanted to succeed at everything. He was never taught that you made mistakes in life. Never had he heard someone tell him that. So when he came to the bottom of the lattice, he decided that this was how he judged whether that was true. If he could reach the top, then it was okay for mistakes to exist. If he could not, then he knew he was a failure. He stood at the bottom. He realized that the roses had not made it. He imagined thousands of roses, trying and failing to reach the top. All but one failed. He looked down in surprise. The rose was at his side, wilted and not as beautiful as before. He suddenly felt guilty. It disappeared as he looked up. He didn't care about the girl anymore. He gripped the wood and pulled himself up. In his subconsious mind,he smiled. This would be easy. Hisboot gripped the bottom. He pulled himself up, butiot was too fast. On the third step up, he had failed. He stepped off before he could fall. He kickedthe wall. Hethought of nothing but his failure as he walked away, vowing never to return.

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Katara sat on her balcony for an hour. She was numb all over. He had not come. She realized now that she had wished he would come. She hadn't wanted to talk to him. She just merely wanted to see him up close again. She moved from the balcony to her bedroom. She stood, looking around as if everything she saw was new to her. She sat down on her bed and fell asleep. She didn't dream or think about him. Her dreams were as if she had never met him.

She woke up very late in the morning. She didn't know exactly what time, but she knew it by the sun.

"The sun," she whispered. She never rose with the sun. A memory flew through her mind.

"You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun." She shuddered. Zuko wasn't what had scared her though. It was the familiarity of his stance.

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Zuko dragged himself out of sleep in the morning. Without opening his eyes, he knew something was wrong. He shifted so that his hand was gripping his dagger. His eyes flew open and he raised the knife.

"Uncle!" Zuko yelled. The old man had been inches away from his face. Iroh drew back. "Something bad happened last night?" he asked. Zuko was surprised. Then he remembered his Uncle knew everything just by judging a man's face.

"I-no, it's just, no, I was….arriving late last night, because of…." Zuko paused to think, "because of the people trying to get out of the city. There were a lot of them. I could barely make it through without being trampled."

Iroh sipped his tea while looking at Zuko expectantly. Zuko sat up and looked at Iroh expectantly.

"One, you did not arrive late, you arrived just ten short minutes ago. Two, you look troubled my young nephew, and I know that something happened. I also that it is common sense that since you told me you were going to get the mask back from the water bending girl, that something happened between you and her. And three, I waited at the gate last night, Prince Zuko. And guess who I saw?" Iroh's smile was larger than Zuko had seen in a long time.

"Who?"

"Guess."

"No. Just tell me!" Zuko's anger flared up, and he instantly regretted it.

"No! You must guess. It is a critical part of the story," Iroh said, ignoring Zuko's tantrum.

"The avatar?"

"Yes! Yes! The avatar and a water tribe friend. So I saw you weren't coming so I followed them!"

Zuko wanted to laugh.

"You followed them?"

"Yes! And there is a great competition. Full of fighting and losing and winning. It was a great thrill in my life. It was wonderful, Prince Zuko. No bending or anything. Just pure fighting. With swords and fists. And there is a reward. A cash reward. Zuko, if only I had some type of fighting experience-."

"Where is it?"

"It is in the forest around the city. Only a small patch has been cleared for the competition's but, Prince Zuko, you must come!" Zuko stoked the fire for a moment, then agreed he would go. But only if he wore a mask.

"Alright. But do not worry about getting caught," Zuko's face fell, "because lots of enemies come together to see these fights." Zuko fingered the dagger at his side. He wanted to exercise fighting. But he could not do it in front of Uncle. But what if he confessed to Iroh of his past? Actually, it would be nice to tell him of his brief unity with the avatar.

"Uncle, I have much to tell you." Iroh looked surprised. Then he smiled and sipped his tea.

"And we have all the time in the world."

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"Aang? What do you do at night with Sokka?" Katara asked as she and Aang walked around town. Aang looked at her with a wild expression.

"No, I mean, where do you _go_?" Aang sighed, relieved that he had mistaken her words.

"Well, we go to a competition."

"What! A competition? You go to one _every night_?" Katara stopped in front of a place that sold fruit. She wasn't interested in food right now though.

"You mean to say, that every night, you and Sokka leave me, so you can watch people fight?" She shook her head, mad at being left out, and disappointed that Aang and Sokka never told her.

"Katara, you have to understand, they are dangerous. And the people there are mean. And whenever girls come around, girls like you, they get into…a frenzy, and it makes them even more dangerous," Aang said, choosing his words carefully, but confidently.

"One, what do you mean, a girl like me?"

"Well, you're pretty and you are smart, and you can sew and cook. And that is just what people like m-, " he paused, and blushed, "people like them would like to have in their house every night when they come home. They would like a girl with personality and looks." He blushed even fiercer when he said this. Katara however, wasn't disturbed by it.

"Oh, so you're protecting me," she said.

"Yes! Exactly!" Aang nodded.

"From dangerous men who drink and fight a lot."

"And would kidnap you."

"And kidnap me," Katara said nodding thoughtfully. Aang nodded.

"In a heartbeat," Aang said.

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"So, Lu Ten taught you swordsmanship, eh? I should have realized. All thosenights inLu Ten's room, you twosaid that you were making battle strategy's, and you'd be tired. It is a graceful and wonderful art, but Prince Zuko…"

"Uncle! What? What is so important that I have to stop using them?"

Iroh sighed, suddenly tired from the truth he had just endured.

"Prince Zuko, swords are beautiful, but deadly dangerous and so lethal. Only certain warriors can wield such wonderful power," at this he looked up to Zuko.

"Pure warriors." he finished.Zuko sparked instantly. He could feel the pressure building up.

"I am a pure warrior. I have helped the avatar. I have done many things with those very swords that many would respect me for. I am a changed man holding those swords."

Iroh sighed.

"Exactly, Prince Zuko, you are a changed man. But only when holding the swords."

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A/N: My favorite chapter. Many signs of what is to come in future chapters. Oh wow! I love Zuko so much! In the words of my sister (dream royale) "I just want to hug him!" I agree with her. If he was real, I would grab him and just tell him that everything is okay. I had to change some things, because people finally told me the truth: I am going way to fast with Katara and Zuko. Not with Zutara, but with their emotions changing. I hope you like the new improved chapter 4.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm going. You can't stop me!" Katara stood in front of the guilty looking pair. Sokka had a hint of defiance.

"You can't bend there. One flask of water won't be enough! Katara I won't let you put yourself in danger just because you feel left out!" He instantly regretted saying it.

"I am perfectly capable of doing anything you can do! I am going!" she yelled. She poked him in the chest and he fell into his seat again, and threw his arms into the air. Aang sat in his seat, glad that he wasn't the one being yelled at. He was still worried about his friend, but he knew she could protect herself. He couldn't help taking her side. She was usually right. So that night, Sokka, Aang, and to Sokka's disappointment, a grinning Katara, who was ready to be apart of their nightly outings.

"So, what kind of guys come here?" she asked.

Aang and Sokka stared at each other.

"Fighters," Aang and Sokka said together. Katara suddenly regretted coming. She had a bad feeling.

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Zuko stood at the camp, waiting for his Uncle to stop lecturing him. He did this all the time. It was so infuriating!

"Uncle, I want to go, and I want to fight. I _will_ fight," Zuko finally interrupted.

"Nephew, I know you want that feeling of winning. You are a wonderful warrior. But you must understand…"

"Understand what? It's just fighting; I am not going to change my life by doing this. I need the exercise." Zuko grabbed his swords and fitted his mask on. He was tired, but now, he felt the adrenaline running through his veins. He was excited. He hadn't fought in such a long time.

Iroh shook his head. He had a bad feeling.

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Sokka and Aang greeted lots of people on the way to the ring. They gave each other high-fives and Sokka betted other guys on who would win. Aang just walked with a tall bald man, with lots of tattoos. The man looked up and Aang looked embarrassed when he introduced him.

"Hey Katara, you can sit with us bald buddies," Aang said. Katara breathed a sigh of relief. She was beginning to feel left out…

"Aang! Macco!" some other people called. Katara looked up and gasped. They were all bald… she had thought there were just the two bald guys, Aang and Macco, but there had to be at least fifteen. She shook her head. She wasn't coming back, that was for sure.

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Zuko and Iroh walked in silence. Iroh didn't know how to talk to the Blue Spirit. Zuko didn't care to talk. He never talked in this mask. His swords were slung on his back, and he was feeling that nervous feeling when he prepared to fight. He thought of all the people that made him angry, and by the time they came upon the ring, Zuko didn't even notice the crowd and the excitement of it all. He just wanted to fight. Iroh pointed towards a place to sign up. As Zuko walked away, Iroh prayed to the spirits that he would come out alive. Zuko was relieved he didn't have to talk. He walked through the crowds of people to the small table that was set up to one side of the ring. He wrote down his name with charcoal. He paused. What was his name in this mask? His mind briefly thought of what Uncle had said. He was the same person with or without the mask. He wasn't hiding from anything. He wrote down _Blue Spirit_ as his name, and then proceeded to the dugout for the people who signed up. Zuko assumed they also had signed up to compete with swords. He wasn't nervous at all. He could take out these peasants single-handedly. He looked up and was surprised to see the competition had already started. He sat back on the bench he was sitting on and almost smiled. These were easy competitors. They weren't nearly as skilled as he.

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"I wish they would hurry up and start already!" Katara said, already bored.

"It has! Look, they are shaking hands right now," Aang pointed out. She sighed.   
"Oh. Well, that is boring too." She felt left out. She had never felt left out. She was always apart of the joke, or the conversation, or anything. She wanted nothing more than to be fantasizing in her bedroom right now. But at that moment, she completely regretted wishing that. She saw a hint of blue n the dugout, and there he was. She gasped. She looked around. Someone had gasped with her. Aang was staring at the dugout too. She poked him.

"Know someone down there?" she asked. He shook his head, wordlessly. And she grew worried. Did he know about that night? Did he know the masked man and Katara's relationship? The fight wasn't as boring as she thought it'd be…

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Zuko heard the announcer, and knew it was his turn. He could feel it. It was between him and a guy named _Web-Stealer_, and he looked the part too. He was decked out in small spiders that weren't real, but certainly life-like. Zuko flinched as the man hissed at him. They shook hands and a spider on the man's hand crawled across to Zuko's. They were real. He wiped it on his pants and the man hissed again. The bell rang and the competition started.

Zuko blocked a swipe from the left. His sword clanked with the man's sword over and over. Zuko was playing defense. He didn't want that. He blocked another blow to the shins and returned it with a stab on the man's right. To his surprise, it hit. He had given a blow to the man that he would've given to a ten year old. He tried it again, this time, faking a blow with one sword on the right, and hitting him on the shins. He was amazed. Then he realized, he hadn't listened to the rules, he wasn't sure if he had to finish until death, or just until they landed on the ground. Zuko thought of Iroh and he knew if death was involved, Iroh wouldn't be there. He looked around as he switched to defense again. He couldn't find Iroh, but he did find something else just as interesting. He stopped in mid-blow and looked up at the water-bender. She was gaping at him. And he was returning it. He didn't even see the avatar sitting next to him, completely ignorant to the familiarity of his friend and him. He felt a sharp sting on his stomach and he twisted around and with two swift moves, he knocked his opponent on his knees. The man begged for mercy, and Zuko realized that it was his choice to kill him or not. He raised his swords and the man crawled to the edge of the ring.

"Aaaaaannnndddddd, Blue Spirit wins!" the announcer yelled out, holding Zuko's arm in the air. Girl's waved their hands in the audience, but Zuko was only looking at Katara, who hung her head as if she was guilty of something.

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Aang couldn't help but cheer Zuko on. He had seen first hand how great he could fight. He had even helped him at one point. But inside he was worried. Zuko? On the outskirts of Ba Seng Se? Immediately, his thoughts roamed to Sokka and Katara's safety, but he knew that Zuko was different in that mask. He felt safer around him.

"He won!" Katara whispered. Aang looked up in surprise at her. She had stood up with half of the crowd and was watching in amazement. Now she was making her way down the aisle and was running along the bottom, watching Zuko the whole time.

"Katara!" Aang called. Sokka pushed him back into his seat.

"It's just hormones. She'll be back up here in a second, don't worry."

Aang had other thoughts though. He slipped down the aisle when Sokka wasn't looking and followed her.

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Zuko was about to take off his mask when he saw the water-peasant running towards him. He should have turned and ran that moment, but he couldn't bring himself to. He was curious. She walked up to him, catching her breath.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. He was debating what he should do when he saw a little bald boy poke his head out from a corner. Before he could see them, Zuko grabbed Katara and pulled her behind a tree.

"What are you doing?" she spat out. He put his fingers to her lips and she was so amazed she could not think of any witty remark that would fit this moment. He looked behind the tree and pulled his head back behind it. His face was really close. She had a strange and wonderful impulse to move in closer, but she knew that they were hiding from someone, and that would not only embarrass her, but might cause them their lives, or something like that. He was still holding her forearms and he pulled her around the tree has a little bald boy stepped past it.

"Katara? Zuko?" Katara stifled a gasp. Zuko was here. She wanted so desperately to ask him where he was, but she was quite comfortable in the company of this mysterious man. Aang sighed and ran back the way he came. The man pulled Katara up and soon she found herself in a tree. It was in perfect view of the fight and she could see Sokka and a now confused Aang sitting in the bleachers. Katara relaxed and set her hand down on the tree, but she felt cloth, she looked down and saw she was practically holding his hand! She saw that he had noticed it too. He looked up, and for a split second, Katara didn't care who he was, she just wanted to see his eyes. She pulled her hand away and tried to scoot away, but the tree did not allow that. She pictured herself falling into him and shuddered.

"Cold?" the man asked. Katara looked up surprised, and the man stiffened.

"You can talk?" Katara asked, stupidly. It was the appropriate comment at the time.

He only nodded. He relaxed. Zuko scolded himself for talking, but then enjoyed keeping her on the edge. Wait, why? He didn't want that. He wanted to be as far away from here as possible. Didn't he?

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"What if she was stuck in a ditch and a saber-tooth-moose-lion came and was slowly picking away her skin and no one was there to save her?" Aang said, wincing at his own creative thought. Except the part where Aang would never think about that stuff.

Sokka laughed.

"I feel sorry for the moose-lion!"

"But, what if she is being held captive by….Jet?"

Sokka stopped cheering the fighters on and looked at Aang. He looked back at the fight and then back at Aang. He sighed with obvious annoyance.

"Fine, we will go and find her. But just because we know who is gonna win this fight," Sokka said.

"The Slicer," they said together. They ran down the aisle. Aang running for Katara's sake, and Sokka running so that he didn't miss the next fight.

A/N: I don't like this chapter. It's…alright. I will probably tweak it a bit, so if you don't like it, be easy on me, because I don't like it either. Please give me reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

Aang and Sokka continued to search for Katara. But the more they searched, the less Sokka complained, and the less Sokka complained, there was more time to think illogically. Which meant that Aang still had a terrible picture of a skinless and bloody Katara, hanging from the mouth of a saber-tooth-moose-lion, and Sokka was picturing her kissing Jet. He hated Jet. A lot. He thought about her growing old, stuck up in the trees, too old and brittle to get down. He searched harder.

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After a while, Zuko decided it was safe to climb down. He knew that he had been waiting for the avatar to finally go away, but he also knew that he was thinking of how he was going to help her get down. She wasn't big, but she was still weight, and he couldn't just sling her over his shoulder and climb down. He decided that he had done enough, and it was her turn to get them out of an uncomfortable situation. He hopped to the branch below him and then he looked up at her. She noticed he was getting down, and a thought occurred to her. How was she going to get down? She felt the pressure of moving press in on her and she finally scooted down the tree in a position that hurt, but she successfully landed, somewhat gracefully next to him. She looked down.

"It's an awfully long way down…" she stated. Zuko's mind flicked to the flying bison. How was she afraid of a tree when she traveled over a hundred feet in the air every day? Katara wobbled dangerously, and her foot slipped. Just before she fell, she felt a strong hand on her back. It pushed her up and she saw the man was holding onto a branch and the hand that had saved her, was his other hand. She blushed slightly. She didn't say it out loud, but he was still holding her back, and she was awfully close to him…

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Sokka gave up.

"We've checked everywhere. She must be pretty far away from the ring," Aang said, equally exhausted.

"Look, I love my sister, but if she is capable of beating the fire nation prince multiple times, then she can beat Jet."

"And the saber-tooth-moose-lion."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

They walked back up to the arena, and they had missed a fight. Macco filled them in, with the occasional comment of people around them. Sokka and Aang cheered the fighters on, and smiled and laughed whenever the bald buddies made jokes, but inside, they were sick with worry.

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She wanted so desperately for him to take off his mask. She didn't care who it was (except Jet). She just wanted to see his face and possibly…

Zuko knew her name. He wanted to shout it. The whole situation felt right: the curve of her back against his hand, her deep breaths, and especially, the thought of kissing her. He lost himself. He was swimming in her ocean-blue eyes, in an unimaginably powerful trance.

"Katara," he whispered. He heard her gasp, and he instantly regretted it. He wanted nothing more than to take it back, for a distraction. She looked around her, and when she realized no one was with her, she slowly turned her head back around. She closed her gaping mouth, and reached up with both hands, she untied the mask and she heard him breathe in sharply. She closed her eyes and slipped the mask up and over his head. At first, Zuko thought she was going to open her eyes, but she just took her unoccupied hand and traced it along his lips. They were chapped, but so soft. She tilted her head towards his, and he did the same, they were inches from each other when they heard a horn.

Katara's eyes flashed open as she looked down. Their romantic spot was no longer only occupied by a couple people.

"The intermission?" Katara asked confusedly. She was going to hop down, but as she lifted them, she realized she still had the mask in them. She turned to the man, but there was no one there. She looked down at the mask, and she smiled to herself. Their kiss was not meant to be…

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Sokka and Aang followed the group out to intermission, and looked around for Katara there, she waved her arms in the air. They didn't notice the bulge in the sling around her…

They went to sleep after Sokka's lecture on running away, which Katara fell asleep during anyway, and they all separated to their rooms. First it was Sokka's then Katara's, then Aang's. Sokka murmured something they couldn't here when he went to bed, and Aang and Katara had to pass a couple more rooms to get to theirs.

"So, where were you earlier?" Aang asked, fake casualness covering his voice.

"I am not gonna lie, I was walking in the woods."

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was."

"How can you prove it?" Aang asked. Katara thought about it for a moment, and then she remembered the tree and how she had slid down it.

"I have bark on my skirt." She looked down at herself, and grinned triumphantly. She was covered in all woodsy things. She was walking in the woods…

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Iroh grinned. He was happy. Zuko had won. He had won over all the people that had come. Zuko was unhappy. He had thrown his disguise to a girl, whom probably would never give it back, and was forced to wear a hood. Then they called him The Dresser, because of how often he had had to switch clothes.

"Which was only two times," Iroh said sympathetically. The bag of gold was sitting on the edge of the campsite, daring to see who would come and take it.

"No, only once. I never changed twice when I was there. I came in my black uniform."

"You could have just worn another mask…." Iroh stated, but looked up to see Zuko wasn't listening. He was staring in the fire at something and he was smiling. Iroh was about to ask him what was wrong, but didn't. He did not want to take away Zuko's happy and peaceful moment. Later, he would ask which girl he had kissed.

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Sokka and Aang were deeply alarmed. Katara had not woken up at sunrise. She just lay in bed and smiled at the ceiling. Whenever Aang or Sokka came in, she would look up and joyfully welcome them inside.

"Aang! Oh well, come on in! I was just waking up…"

"You were awake an hour ago…"

"Was I? Oh, well, that's okay, I can't tell my dream world from my reality anymore anyway."

"I'm just gonna leave…"

"Goodbye!"

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Zuko wanted to get the mask back, but he wanted it back so he could see her, be in her presence, be in her room, and hopefully, what was never finished last time, would be. Zuko never, and had no desire to kiss any girl in his life. But this girl wasn't even in his life. And he liked that. She couldn't disappoint him when they never saw each other unless they were in a tree and he was The Blue Spirit. But when they saw each other, he was sure she was feeling the same way…

"Prince Zuko," Iroh called to him. Zuko walked back to their campsite and unloaded the wood he had been gathering.

"Zuko," the boy said.

"What? That's what I called you, Prince Zuko."

"No, just Zuko. My father won't take me back now. You and I, we are traitors. I am Zuko." He smiled, and Iroh smiled.

"Zuko," Uncle whispered. He wiped his eyes and settled on the ground.

"Now, what happened to you?"

"I don't understand."

"I am neither wise, nor dumb…well, I am pretty wise. I am a wise man, my young nephew. I know when something has happened to you…for the better. Something you might like. A feeling you might enjoy…" Iroh pressed Zuko's buttons until finally, he gave up.

"Uncle I have fallen in love with the Avatar's water bender!" Zuko said through his hands. There was silence. Zuko let his hands slip away from his face, but he continued to look down.

"Well, how did she handle it?" Iroh finally asked.

Zuko stared at him.

"What?"

"Well, she couldn't have fallen in love with you if you weren't wearing the mask."

Zuko nodded, dreading what would come next.

"So you told her, revealing yourself to her, and she still loves you for who you are?"

Zuko looked around and shifted uncomfortably.

"Zuko," Iroh gasped.

"I have no choice! She will want to fight me and I will say no and she won't love me back Uncle. I don't know how to do this!"

"Then I will teach you. I was once a wonderful romance in many girl's lives. I'm sure I have a few tricks up my sleeves."

Zuko hated this night.

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	7. Chapter 7

Katara found herself a lot happier. And Sokka and Aang found themselves a lot more worried.

"I hate Jet," Sokka muttered under his breath as Katara came waltzing in. She had a wreath of flowers around her head.

"Mmm," Aang said. He had his head in his hand and was staring at her.

"Aang, snap out of it!" Sokka said snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"What?" Aang woke up from his dream and blushed.

"What was that all about?" he asked the boy.

"Nothing."

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Zuko was learning to like girls more when Iroh talked about them

"They are a whole new world, my young nephew. They are wonderful and scary, all at the same time. But," Iroh warned him. "If you marry, marry happily, for the girl will get mad and awfully cranky when you do not please her."

Zuko nodded and sipped his tea.

"Uncle, when will I be able to see her again? She won't recognize me without the mask."

"Ah, then you should go to her and get the mask, then tell her who you are."

"I know, but when?"

"Tonight, tomorrow, three weeks from now." Iroh waved his hand around as if it didn't matter.

"Tonight? I can do it tonight?"

Iroh nodded.

"But, Zuko, you must understand that once you have revealed yourself to her, you must let her do her part, and she will decide what happens. Women who do not take control of relationships are not the type you want." He chuckled, and Zuko smiled, even though he didn't see why that was funny.

Zuko still doubted Katara would have him. He had been chasing her for almost two years. She still saw him as Prince Zuko, the man who was trying to capture her friend and turn him in to the fire lord. He wanted to be Zuko, the normal boy, except for the occasional romantic moments that made her weak in the knees. Not fire nation prince or citizen. He wanted to be Zuko.

So it was settled. He would go tonight.

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It was cold outside, so Katara didn't wait for him. She had lost a lot of hope anyway. At least she had his mask. It was probably the single most romantic thing that had happened to her. She drove herself crazy thinking about who it could be. He just had to be a bender. She knew he was. She could sense that people were benders. She didn't know how, but it was in their facial features and their stride and how they presented themselves. Not in a snotty way, just as if they had more energy than others. She thought about their almost-kiss. It wasn't an almost-kiss, though. It was a kiss to be. She fell asleep fantasizing about how it would feel to have her first real boyfriend. She pressed the mask to her chest, and she imagined them holding hands, and going to romantic restaurants. He would lean in to kiss her, and she could feel his breath on her neck. She felt the mask slipping out of her arms, in an all-too-real way. Her eyes fluttered open, and he was tying his mask on. She sat up. He stood confidently before her, but then he saw her give him a small smile, and he took a step back, his knees suddenly weaker than before. He couldn't lose that smile; he wanted to keep it forever. No girl had ever smiled at him like that. He turned towards the balcony and he felt a hand on his forearm.

"Uh, well, I just wanted to say, thanks, and I guess, I just," she stopped. He was pulling up his mask. She knew he wouldn't take it off completely.

"I just…" He leaned in closer. She stopped muttering under her breath, because when he kissed her, she didn't want to miss a bit of it. She closed the gap and it was one, swift kiss. It warmed her from head to toe, and she closed her eyes, and she kissed him back. She finally tore away and she looked up at him. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then he put his mask back. He turned and climbed over the balcony. She watched him go. She touched her lips and then she turned back to her bed, and as she looked to the doorway she discovered they had not been alone.

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Zuko climbed down the lattice and he leaned against the wall. He had succeeded at kissing her, but failed to tell her who he was. It was her smile. It was so beautiful. He would die if he never saw it again. He needed to tell her, but he couldn't bring himself to break her heart.

"No," he whispered, "my heart."

He arrived back at the camp and luckily, Uncle was asleep. He lay down on the ground and he realized how tired he was. He wasn't sure if he was in love, but he certainly had feelings for her. That just happened to be strong. Very strong. He rolled over to face away from the fire. He felt like he was being watched. He turned back around.

"You didn't tell her."  
"Uncle please," Zuko said. He turned back around.

"Zuko! You did not tell her? Don't tell me you-."

"Yes! Okay I did! I kissed her, but it's none of your business! Go to sleep."

"Zuko, you are going to hurt that girl in a way no one has ever hurt her! You _must_ tell her."

"I will. Not now."

"I hope you do…for her sake…"

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"Sokka."

"Katara? Did I just see, I must be hallucinating," Sokka rubbed his eyes and stepped inside.

"Tell me you weren't just-"

"Yes, I was, but it's definitely none of your business, and don't you ever speak of this again!"

"But, who was he?"

Katara stopped. She stared at Sokka with a pained expression. He stopped rubbing his eyes.

"Oh my god, Katara, you kissed a man you don't even know!"

"I do know him! I've met him before!"

Sokka stared at her.

"You were with him-"

"I don't have to listen to this."

"You were with him that time we went to the fighting pit! You ran off with him! Katara I can't believe you! He could be some kind of-" he stopped mid-sentence. He closed his eyes.

"Blue mask. Oh no. Oh my, oh no." He was starting to scare Katara.

"What? Sokka what do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen the posters?"

"You are just playing with my mind," Katara said, although she knew he wouldn't do something like that.

"I am serious Katara. He is a criminal! I am not sure what for. But I swear to the spirit of the wolf, he is on a million posters all around town."

Katara stared at him for a long time. He squirmed, but she stood completely still. He thought she was going to cry. She sniffed.

"Oh."

A/N: Short but oh-so juicy. I love this one. But I am wondering if it is too fast. I need some help. I need good editors, please give me a review. Just drop a couple seconds and read it over and then tell me what I am doing wrong. It's the only way I can learn!

Zutara forever!

Oh and I got an account on devineArt and boy is it cool! I have a icon of the Blue Spirit! AAAA! Okay, so anyway, look me up I am wish-upon-a-fanart. Haaaaaavvvve fun with it!


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko woke up and Iroh was not at the camp. He started to worry. He looked through the forests calling his name, until finally, he heard

"Nephew! I am over here."

Zuko wandered over to the voice, and he saw Iroh sitting at a small stream. He was meditating. Zuko sat down to do the same, but Iroh turned and looked at him.

"What must you do?" Zuko thought about the question for a few brief moments.

"I need to find the avatar, let him know I am not chasing him anymore, and make sure the girl…I mean, Katara, knows who kissed her."

Iroh shook his head.

"No. You got the first part right. But you are wrong about the girl."

Zuko gave him a confused look.

"Think about it. If you still love her, tell her you want to be with her."

"It will never-"

"Zuko! Listen to me, you have to do this right."

"I will. I just…I don't know how to approach it!" Iroh started to say something, but Zuko cut him off.

"I am working on it, by myself!" Zuko hissed. Iroh stopped himself from saying anything else. The old man turned back around and stared into the stream.

"I am sorry Uncle. I have to do this on my own." He stood and walked as far away from his Uncle as possible without losing his sense of direction. Zuko sat down on a rock in a small clearing. He had to at least solve the Avatar problem. He couldn't wear his mask as a distraction anymore. He was too tangled up with Katara. He couldn't risk seeing her in the streets and she expecting to talk to him. He stood and decided he should at least find some food. But after a few steps, Zuko felt something tug at his foot. There were only two seconds when he looked down and then he was hanging upside down, obviously caught in a trap. He sighed. He opened his mouth to call his Uncle, but thought better of it. If it was someone who would recognize him, they might just hold Prince Zuko captive, and not the Blue Spirit. Then he knew Katara would come down and he would be able to see her.

"But she won't see me," Zuko murmured. At least not the real him. He crossed his arms and waited for someone to come to take him away. He waited. And waited. He wasn't usually impatient, but he was in this particular situation. He heard the crunch of a twig. He smiled to himself. He swung around and he groaned.

"Uncle!"

"I thought you were going to the camp to hang around!" Iroh laughed loudly. Zuko rolled his eyes and waited for him to stop.

"I can see my humor is not appreciated my young nephew. I also suppose you do not want me to cut you down."

"No."

"Alright. I will be at camp if you need me, I can see you are not going anywhere." He laughed again and walked out of sight. Zuko fumed. He hated Iroh's laughter. He wasn't funny!

A couple minutes or hours later, (he was too hungry to tell) Zuko heard a crunch of feet. Two pairs. He looked up and suppressed a sigh of relief. Two earth nation soldiers stood, equally surprised that he wasn't some animal but a person.

"I am Prin-."

He stopped; they were already cutting him down!

"No, I am the son of the fire lord! I am Prince….Zuko." He was standing in the clearing, alone. He stormed out of the woods and went back to camp.

"Did you give up? Or did they find you?" Iroh asked softly.

"They didn't even listen! They didn't even recognize me!" He kicked a stump and cursed himself. It hurt.

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Sokka had long since left Katara alone in her thoughts. She lay on her bed staring at the canopy. At first she was skeptical, but the more she thought about it, the more she believed him. She felt betrayed. A criminal like him wouldn't want her, and she didn't want a criminal. It should've worked out for her. But she still wasn't content with the idea of giving up so easily like that. She couldn't help but admit it. She really liked this guy.

"I don't even know him," she whispered. She slid out of bed and walked down the hallway. She knocked on Aang's door and eh opened it, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, hey Katara."

"Hi Aang. I just wanted to tell someone I am going for a walk."

Aang stared at her as if she was saying she was going to jump off a cliff.

"Is this a dream?" Katara sighed.

"Yes, and if Sokka asks you about me, tell him all about your dream, alright?"

"Mmmhmm, okay, no problem. I will do that. He went back to his bed and she closed the door. Aang was an early riser, but he valued his sleep very much.

Katara walked down the many stairs (the only downfall of having a room with a nice view) and exited the building. She smelled the sweet air and looked around. Ba-Seng-Se seemed almost magical at night. She looked up at the brightly lit sky. She smiled. She imagined her mother smiling down at her from the sky. She saw someone closing their shop down. She wondered what time it was.

"Excuse me, does Ba-Seng-Se have a curfew?" Katara asked timidly, wondering if she sounded stupid.

The man smiled gently,.

"No, not here." Katara nodded her thanks and continued wondering around the street, looking up at the stars.

"I wonder what he is doing…"

….

….

….

….

Zuko looked up at the stars. He remembered her eyes and the deep bright blue. He filled himself with her smile. He breathed in, liking the feeling of knowing that she was not far away. He enjoyed the moment, and then he realized he wanted to see her again. He watched his Uncle. He would be fine. He stood silently and fitted on his mask, wondering what she would do when she saw him. He felt excited and jumpy when he thought of her. He knew tonight was the night she would find out who he was.

….

….

….

….

Katara stared up at the poster, her eyes filling with unwept tears. There he was. The same man she had dreamed of for so long. She blinked a couple of times to rid herself of the bothersome water that had collected in her eyes. She knew that these tears were not from her thoughts or from her pain. They were from her heart. She wondered if she would ever see him again. And then she wondered whether she would really ever see him, or if she had already seen him. She smiled to herself. She enjoyed her fantasies more that her reality.

….

….

….

….

Zuko saw the back of her head as he turned the corner that led to her balcony. He stopped walking and his heart raced. She was looking at his poster. She was reading the poster. He prayed she did not believe the poster.

….

….

….

….

Katara finally tore her gaze from the poster. She continued walking down the side of the road, so immersed in her own thoughts, that she did not notice the man following her.

….

Zuko watched her as she gracefully walked down the road. He wished he was standing next to her. He wished she would enjoy Zuko's company, and not he Blue Spirit's. He wished for a lot of things, and had a feeling that not one of them would come true. He heard something in the distance. It was….a piano? He frowned. People are so weird. But he thought harder. It was perfect. Katara stopped. She was listening to it. She smiled and closed her eyes. It was louder now.

"You have to be the most romantic person you can be, Zuko. And dancing, is the way to a girl's heart…" For the first time in his life, Zuko thought of his Uncle as brilliant. He walked quietly towards her, he touched her arm and he could feel her jump. She turned and before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and they were dancing.

Zuko had never danced before. He wasn't sure if he was good at it or not. All he knew is that he had been wrong before. He had wished, and now he realized, he had to make his own wishes come true.

….

It had happened so fast Katara didn't know what to feel. She had been listening to the music wafting from down the street. And before she could do or say anything, she was dancing with this...criminal! Yet she couldn't help but rest her head on his chest, which gave him a sign that they would talk about it later. Zuko remembered that this was the night, that he would be able to talk.


	9. Chapter 9

Zuko was relishing in the beauty of it all. He was with a beautiful girl, at night, dancing to piano music, and no one was around to laugh and ridicule them. He smiled into her hair and he felt her heart beating. He grimaced. It was an awful feeling: the knowledge that the love they shared could never exist for complicated and confusing reasons that even he couldn't decode. He wanted to enjoy these few minutes, but couldn't when he knew she would never be able to look at him the same. The song slowly died down, and Katara stepped back from him and frowned. She guided him over to a wall, and he knew where they were going. She pulled the poster down and held it up to him.

"Is this you?" she whispered pointing towards the parchment. He sighed, then took it from her hands and pulled her over to a bench. She eagerly sat down, which made his stomach clench tighter. He reached up and touched the mask, and she held her breath. What was he doing?

He pulled it up, but before he could pull it all the way off, he felt her push it back down.

"Before you do anything, I just want to say something." He let his hands slip down to his lap, she took them and she frowned.

"You seem so familiar," she whispered. Zuko couldn't suppress a nod. Her eyes widened. "You do know me," she said.

He nodded again. She motioned for him to come closer.

"I'm not sure what to think about this whole situation," she began, "But all I know, is that it will take a very high degree of hatred for me not to continue whatever we are doing." He felt like tearing his eyes out. He should never have gotten involved. He would never forget this. He couldn't tell her, but he had to. She sat back and cautiously lifted her hands. All he could do was nod. Her hands grasped the mask, and he got one last look at her beautiful face before it would turn into a surprised and hateful one. Light flooded his face, and he sighed. It was over.

….

….

….

….

Sokka knocked on Aang's door.

No answer.

He groaned. Not him too. He pushed the door open and saw that Aang was there, and he was asleep. Sokka ran over to him and shook him awake.

"Aang! Aang, wake up!"

"Hmmm? Katara, I knew you would-" his eyes fluttered open and he yelped.

"Sokka? What are you doing in my room?"

"Where's Katara?"

"Wait, I had a dream like this. Katara told me to tell you, that she was out for a walk!"

"I don't need dreams! I have looked all over for her!"

"Sokka!" Aang said, grasping his arm.

"That was real! I remember going back to bed!"

"So she really is going for a walk?" Sokka asked.

"Ya, I am pretty sure she is!" Aang said, relaxing in his bed. Sokka was somewhat relaxed by this. He sat down beside the door. Aang sat making weird shapes with air. The looked like little tornadoes…

Sokka's eyes drooped, and in a couple of seconds, he was fast asleep.

….

….

….

….

"Zuko?" Katara whispered, obviously horrified. She stood up, and immediately started pacing in front of him. He hung his head.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked. It hadn't occurred to her that he could kill her at any second.

"My Uncle wanted me to join you guys and become…friends," he choked out, "with the avatar."

"Aang."

"Ya, that's him."

"His name is Aang, say it," Katara stopped pacing to look him in the eye.

"Avatar Aang," Zuko said cautiously.

"Never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing." She paused and stared at him.

"Zuko, I can't believe you! You kissed me!"

"You kissed me back!"

Katara fumed.

"I hate you!"

"I knew you would!"

She realized that he was wrong.

"But… I didn't hate you when you told me."

Zuko's stomach unclenched.

"You…you did?"

Katara nodded.

She sat down and turned to him.

"Zuko, I don't know if I can trust you, but, I don't hate you."

"But you won't have me, will you?"

She looked down and fiddled with her dress.

"Zuko, it's…" she looked up at him. He had changed, she could tell that. He no longer had a pony-tail, but his hair was short and covered his whole head. His scar seemed so normal now. She briefly wondered where it came from.

"It's complicated," she breathed. She reached up and traced his scar with her fingertips.

"Katara, I-"

She shushed him, and then her hand fell to his jaw, and she pulled him closer. She kissed him softly on the lips and then stood to leave. He couldn't bare it. He grabbed her hand.

"We'll see each other again, won't we?" he asked, afraid of the answer. She turned to look at him.

"You might see me, but I won't see you."

….

….

….

….

Katara arrived at her room fifteen minutes later. She looked for some sign that there was good that would come of this, but it didn't. She felt empty and a little sick. She decided a good night's sleep would help. She fell into her bed and she was suddenly, very tired.

"Maybe," she yawned, "This is all a dream." But she didn't hope for such luck. She made one wish on the one star she could see from her window. She wished some good would come of all of it.

….

….

….

….

Zuko wandered back to the camp and fortunately, Iroh didn't pester him. he could tell by the hurt look on his face, that he had told her, and she didn't take it well. He watched his nephew crawl into bed and sigh.

Zuko couldn't help it. He needed to tell someone.

"She said, 'you will see me, but I won't see you'." Zuko sighed again. He was trying to cover up his anger.

"I think I love her Uncle, but she won't take me! I could have supported her, and loved her and made her smile everyday and she doesn't love me back! I-I can't believe her!" He stormed out of the camp before Iroh could offer any words of comfort. The old man felt guilty, because he had known that this would happen the whole time.

….

Zuko sat in a tree, meditating. He focused all excess energy in breathing. First, breathe, then fill the stomach, lungs, then throat, then release it, stomach, lungs, and then throat. Although he tried to calm down, his thoughts strayed to the tree on which he and she had sat upon, enjoying each other's company. He hopped off and walked towards the camp, hoping his Uncle would be asleep.

"Nephew, sit down and let me tell you something."

Zuko groaned inwardly.

"You have to become friends with the Avatar, right?" Iroh asked. Zuko reluctantly nodded.

"Then once you are, you will also be closer to whomever he spends his time with, right?"

Zuko perked up slightly and started nodding, this time, actually caring about what his Uncle was saying.

"Now, Zuko, I'm not saying you should use the Avatar, no, that would be crazy! You have to look at it as if you are becoming friends with the Avatar's friends, while also having a deep desire to kiss the girl…" he laughed, his big belly shaking. Zuko stared at him. And he called Azula crazy…

….

….

….

….

Katara's mood definitely changed. Both boys noticed it. She came out of her room only when she had to. In fact, she spent much, much more time in there that what she would've usually cared for. She had big mood swings at meals that caused everyone to elapse in silence, and then Aang couldn't stop himself from saying something, and Katara would stand up and stalk off. She was in constant bad moods, and no one could get her out of it. Sokka heard rumors of her pulling maids away from their duties, just to talk to them as if they were best friends for years. The only time she seemed to not be on the brink of serious depression, was a big festival that was to take place in a couple of days. She simply said,

"I am going," and the boys let themselves breathe again.

"Hey! And it has a theme," Aang remembered. Sokka made a choking noise, but Katara didn't seem to notice.

"You'll never guess what it is," Aang said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Just tell me."

Sokka made a cutting sign across his throat.

"It's the Festival of Masks!"

They didn't hear from her for a couple of days.

A/N: I love this chapter, but again, I am cautious about taking it too far in a short amount of time. Please R & R! Criticism always welcome!


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko had to think up another plan to become friends with the Avatar.

"He is just one little boy, how hard do you think it'll be to talk to him." Zuko said. Iroh pointed out he had the finest room and accommodations in the city, and security would be hard to breach.

"But I guess you have before, for, well, you know," he smiled "_other reasons_…" and he laughed and walked away. Zuko sighed and rubbed his forehead. A couple of minutes later, Zuko was still rubbing his forehead, but thinking about _'other things' _, Iroh walked up to him and sat down.

"Nephew, think."

"I am, Uncle!"

"No. Think about what you can use around you. Don't think about things you can change. Think about the things you cannot change."

Zuko looked up at him. He was crazy!

"Uncle, I have no idea-"

His Uncle handed him a small slip of paper that had lots of drawings of masks. Zuko turned it over, suddenly interested.

"Join the celebrations for the Festival of Masks…" Zuko read out loud.

Iroh nodded, very pleased with himself.  
"So, my young nephew, what are you doing tonight?"

"Well," Zuko said, smiling, "I was thinking about going to this festival…"

….

….

….

….

Katara had to buy a mask before the festival started. She loathed crowds now, and they gave her headaches. She reluctantly grabbed her pouch of money. She wore her hair down. She was too tired to put it up. She told a maid that she was going to town.

"I bet there won't be a single mask out for sale," Katara mumbled. She got to the bottom of the stairs and passed the recreation area.

"Hey Katara!" Aang called. She raised her hand and hurried out the door.

"What's her problem?" Sokka said, munching on an apple.

Aang glared at him.

"Where have you been for the past four days?" Aang asked.

….

Katara looked around and blinked. Everything was blurry. She shaded her eyes and she looked around. She hadn't been outside in days. She saw a nearby shop selling masks. There was also a sale on hats. She didn't have a hat. She needed a hat. So she bought a hat. It was pretty on her. A sales-woman picked it out for her.

"Oh, dear, you look lovely in that! It matches your dark hair."

"Thank you," Katara said, adjusting it. It was just straw color and it had a blue ribbon that went around the edge. It's brim was big, but these hats were in fashion. She bought it and wondered aloud what it looked like.

"I think you look nice in everything you wear," someone pointed out. Katara turned around and gasped.

"What are you doing here?"

"Happy to see you too," Zuko said, setting down the earth kingdom hat he was looking at.

"Why are you here?" Katara demanded again.

"I need to buy a mask for the festival tonight."

Katara gaped at him. She recovered slightly.

"Well, seems you already have one, and it also seems it's very popular with the earth kingdom government," she whispered. He looked at her sharply.

"I don't like that one," he said defensively.

"You seemed to like it a couple days ago," she argued.

"You've changed. You seem, unhappy," he couldn't stop a smile from escaping.

"What can I say? You ruined my happiness. I'll get over it," she said, and started wandering over to the store next to the first one. He followed her. Her heart skipped.

"Do you think," Zuko said, starting to get serious, "that if I hadn't told you, you would've been happier now?" He winced as she looked up at his reward poster.

"Why do you ask?" she said turning around to look him in the eye.

"Because, I think, that I would've been. And we seem to be pretty similar," he whispered. He was inching closer.

"I am nothing like you," Katara said and turned to walk away.

"Katara, you never answered my question," he said, reaching blindly for some way to stop her.

"I think I did," she said.

"No, you didn't."

She stopped and walked back to him.

"Zuko, do you even realize what you are even risking by being here?" she whispered. She gestured around them and he caught her hand.

He kissed her hand. She almost melted. He was so sly.

"How do I know you aren't using me to get to Aang?" she said, her voice wavering slightly. He noticed how nervous she was. She was scared of him still. Whether it was from being the son of the firelord or that he had kissed her, he didn't know.

"Katara, please," he whispered, "Trust me."

….

….

….

….

She shivered in her bed.

"Katara, please," Zuko had said. She couldn't suppress another shiver. That was exactly what Jet had said. He wanted to meet her in a couple of hours at the festival. She wanted to too. She rolled over and looked at her door. He was Prince Zuko! He was son of the firelord, and he was out to get her best friend. He could have very well lied to her. He was quick and smart, and she had to hand it to him, he made the adrenaline in her veins quicken its pace. She really liked the Blue Spirit, but he and Prince Zuko were the same people. But the thought of his kiss wandered into her mind. She wanted that feeling again. She wanted it from someone who truly cared for her though.

"I will go and meet him, but I will tell him I can't be with him, again," she vowed in the darkness. Someone knocked on her door.

"Um, Miss Katara, the Festival will start in a half an hour," a maid said through the door.

"Thank you!" Katara mumbled.

They were complete opposites, they couldn't be together…

….

….

….

….

Zuko couldn't help himself, he wanted alone time with her. He knew he kept putting the avatar off, but he wanted to talk to her, and make up for all the time that he couldn't talk to her. He had never wished more that he was a different person.

"That is a foolish thing to say, my nephew. You cannot wish yourself to be a different person; you must become a different person." His Uncle was always right.

But he still wanted to talk to her. So he decided to ask her to meet him somewhere. He purposely chose a place that would be remote and people wouldn't see them, particularly her brother and the Avatar. After she had hurried away, amazed that he had asked her to meet him in private, he decided he should just get it over with and buy a mask. He looked around. He grabbed a red mask and went to pay for it. It looked sort of similar to his own, but it covered only half of his face, but more importantly, it covered his scar. He paid, then let his feet take him back to he camp, while his thoughts were somewhere with a certain girl.

….

Katara put on her usual blue dress, and grabbed the mask she had worn right before they had met The Deserter. In her haste to get away from Zuko, she hadn't bought a mask, so she decided that she could do with that one. She slipped it on and snuck to her door. She listened for anything outside. She had to meet Zuko, and then she would find Aang and Sokka. It wouldn't be that hard. Just go to the biggest place that had free food and look for the water-tribe boy stuffing his face. She listened harder, but she heard no one. She stepped out and turned to close the door as quietly as she could.

"Hey Katara!" a little boy said, bouncing up and down. He also was wearing his old mask. She pulled it up, hoping it was a maid.

Aang's grinning face grinned up at her.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, I guess I am. Where's Sokka?" she asked looking down the hallway.

"Oh, he left. He'll be by the food."

She nodded her agreement. They walked down the hallway to the stairs, and then as they descended, Aang jumped behind her, obviously excited about the Festival.

"Are you excited? I am really excited Katara! I haven't been to a celebration in ages! What do you think will happen? Who do you think will be there? I hope we see someone we know, like Haru! Do you remember him? That was that earth bender we met, I think you two were friends! You were great there! I remember it, I remember lots of things, like that one time I tried that chi-enhancing tea? Remember? Remember that Katara?"

She sighed and nodded.  
"Hey Aang, to save time, because we have a lot of fun things to do tonight, why don't we split up and look for Sokka that way?"

There was silence, she held her breath.

She could see the bottom of the stairs. If he would just say yes…

"Katara I don't think-"

"Great! Thanks, Aang I knew you'd understand! I am just so excited!" she bolted for the door.  
"Well, okay, but be careful!" Aang called out.

"I will!" she called back. Aang watched her as she rushed down the street. He didn't notice she was going the wrong way.

A/N: Heh, sorry people. I have no excuse for what I did, and I am thoroughly sorry to MOST people, but there are a few I am so mad at that I am shaking as I write this, for reasons I probably shouldn't, but I don't care. Point is, I am sorry, and here, hopefully, is the real chapter 10. Thanks to the reviewers who were actually nice about it and weren't ticked off because someone made one tiny little mistake in the world! Mmmm, I am going to go meditate now…


	11. Chapter 11

Katara moved through the crowd like water. She ducked around drunken men and cheering women. She had her mask on, and it was harder than normal to get air. She saw a clearing and ran for it.

Sokka walked by her, fruit in one hand and a chicken leg in the other.

"Sokka?" Katara whispered. He turned and she immediately covered her face, he didn't seem to notice. What he did notice though, was a mound of soft buttery rolls a couple tables away. Katara scolded herself; she needed to be on guard. Who knew what Zuko had in mind? She walked down an empty street, glad to be away from the crowds. She turned down the road, following the directions he gave her, and saw a small dimly lit restaurant. It wasn't open by the looks of it, and no one was there. Katara cautiously looked around while walking towards a table in the back. She sat down at a table and waited for someone, a kidnapper of Zuko's or an army of fire nation soldiers. She took off her mask and smoothed back her hair.

"Katara?"

She jumped up and whirled around.

"You didn't have to scare me like that!" she snapped at the fire nation prince.

"Sorry, well go ahead and sit down," Zuko said, taking the seat opposite her. She eyed the chair wearily.

"I can't. I just came here to talk," she said. She spared a glance around, waiting for someone to walk out and grab her. She looked down at Zuko, who was studying her face with a plain expression.

"You think I am going to kidnap you," he said, still wearing the same expression.

"No, I-"

"You think I will hold you hostage, as a trade for the Avatar." He stood up and looked at her.

"Well, I, it's complicated! You have been chasing us for more than a year now, and I am just supposed to sit and talk? At night? Where no one else is here?" Katara was fuming now.

"Well, I guess I wasted my time here," Zuko said, also obviously mad. He stood and started to walk away. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but it will take a long time before I can trust you again. But I am willing to try," Katara whispered, and pulled him back down into his seat.

"What did you want to talk about?" Katara asked. She watched his face closely. His eyes twitched and he looked down.

"Us," he mumbled. Her brain choked and her heart cheered.

"Us?" Katara asked, amazed.

"Don't pretend like it's not there. There had got to be something between us," Zuko said defensively.

"Zuko, there _can't_ be us! It would be foolish, and it would be so…wrong!"

"Why? What is wrong? I no longer want the Avatar. My father will not take me back now. It is just me and my Uncle and I have realized I need to take a step up. I can be allies with the Avatar! I can be allies with you!" Zuko was now aching inside. He knew what would happen.

"I-" Katara began.

"Wait, before you tell me we can't be together, tell me if you have any feelings for me. If you have just the slightest feeling of friendship, please tell me, because I will not be able to live with myself if you don't."

Katara looked down. She couldn't do it. She couldn't betray her friends. She couldn't betray the world.

"It's so complicated," she whispered. He stared at her. She looked up to meet his eyes. She felt her heart start to cry, and realized it was her that was crying.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said and stood up. He turned and left, his heart threatening to break too. Before he was out of earshot, though, he heard a whisper.

"I am too."

….

….

….

….

Aang and Sokka couldn't find their sister anywhere. Sokka had a picture of her making out with that criminal again. First Jet, then the Blur Spirit, she had a thing for bad boys. Sokka looked down at a frustrated Aang.

"We searched everywhere and we still cannot find her! Aarrrrggghhh, where is she?" He threw his hands in the air.

"She's somewhere around here…" Sokka said, still thinking about her and Jet. He hated that guy.

….

Katara wondered through the crowd, her mask covering her confused and hurt face. She took it off. She was done hiding. She was sad, and she didn't care who knew it. Her eyes cast downward, she suddenly felt tired. She pushed her way through the crowd, this time not so easily. There were whistles and cat-calls, but she was deaf at this moment. She bumped into someone. She looked up and saw someone turn.

"Um, excuse me, I just need to get through-"

"Wait a minute pretty little lady! What's wrong?" he grabbed her chin and she glared at him. The smell of alcohol reeked off his breath.

"Get away from me!" Katara yelled, pushing him away. She didn't want to deal with this today. There wasn't any water around.

"Let…me…go!" she yelled, pushing him again. He grinned.

"I could use someone like you back home. Can you cook and clean?"

At this point, Zuko stepped from the shadows and grabbed Jet by his neck.

"Get away from her," Zuko growled through clenched teeth. He pushed the man to the ground. Zuko turned and took Katara's forearm.

Katara had been so shaky for those past couple hours that she was always on the edge of crying. She let the tears roll down her face silently, wondering where Zuko was taking her. She watched her surroundings through blurred eyes and realized he was guiding her back to where she was staying. They reached the door, and Zuko gently let go of her arm. He turned to leave.

She couldn't let the moment pass. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her. She kissed him long and deep and she felt his muscles relax. Suddenly, he pulled away.

"What are you doing? You said so yourself we can't be together!" Zuko said, mad about breaking the kiss, but realizing it was necessary.

"Zuko I have feelings for you, but you and I both know, that you and I can't exist if Aang and Sokka still think that you are trying to capture us…"

"You trust me?" Zuko asked hopefully, but not hopeful enough that he would get hurt if she said no.

"I figured I am still here and not on a fire nation ship, so I can consider it…" He smiled and she kissed him again.

"How?" he whispered when she pulled away.

"You know what you came here to do. I am just a small set-back. You have to get Aang to trust you. Then we'll work on it from there."

They heard footsteps.

"I have to go," Zuko whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

"Remember my advice," Katara whispered as he disappeared down an alley. When she got to her room, she fell on top of it, much, much happier than a couple of minutes ago. There was only one problem.

How would he see her again?

A/N: I like that Zuko still wants to protect her even though she said that she couldn't love him. Heck I like that they even talked! R and R please!


	12. Chapter 12

Sokka and Aang stood at Katara's doorway in the morning. They knew she was in there. A maid had told them that she had come in. They knew what they had to do. She had disappeared so often in the past week. They were worried.

"Are you ready?" Sokka whispered, not sure if he was himself.

"No."

Pause.

"Are you ready?"

"Almost."

"Aang, c'mon, are you ready yet?"

The little monk knocked on the door. It flew open and out waltzed a fully-dressed, grinning from ear-to-ear Katara.

"Good morning," she rang out. Sokka and Aang both stepped back, amazed. They figured something bad happened last night.

She walked down the hallway, humming a small tune.

"Maybe she is on the second step of depression," Sokka muttered.

"What's the second step?" Aang asked, as something occurred to him.

"Denial," Sokka muttered, and turned to walk away, expecting Aang to follow. He didn't. Aang was in awe. That song. The one she had hummed. It was so familiar.

"Aang you comin'?" Sokka asked.

"Ya, I guess I will," Aang said. He would figure it out later. Sokka had just explained to him about all the leftover food that was in the carts along streets. Feast now, think later.

….

….

….

….

Katara was once again in her usual peppy mood.

"We have a chance," she whispered to herself happily. Sokka and Aang didn't question her disappearance last night and that was good. She was too happy to ponder over confusing things. She, Sokka and Aang still didn't have word of when Aang's earth bending teacher would be arriving. She chose not to think today. She would not interrupt her happy moments in life anymore. With the situation the nations had put themselves in, they would come rarely. They were too precious to ruin.

….

Iroh stared suspiciously as Zuko as he went around camp stoking the fire, collecting wood, and doing other spontaneous chores.

"So, nothing big happened last night? You didn't see the Avatar there?" Iroh cast his eyes down into his tea. He could see it swirling around in his cup. The steam rose to meet his face and he breathed it in, trying to contain his fury at his nephew.

"No, Uncle. I will have to come up with a 'perfect' plan. He wasn't there, and I was foolish for not thinking that he wouldn't show up. I am sorry."

"Zuko, you didn't happen to see someone else there, that was…familiar to you?" Iroh looked up. Zuko set down the wood he had been collecting.

"Familiar? No, just a bunch of earth benders," Zuko looked up at Iroh and saw what he meant.

"I might've seen her."

"Prince Zuko! You neglected your perfect plan just to see a girl? I am ashamed."

"I am not Prince Zuko anymore Uncle! And yes, I did. I figured if I could get one of them to trust me, then I would have a chance."

"And did you think that maybe she wouldn't want to tell the Avatar? Did you think you were putting her in an uncomfortable position, between friends and love? Did you think at all?" Iroh stood and walked to his stream, which was where he went to calm down and meditate. Zuko sat down. He knew he was foolish. He knew he would not be able to get the girl to say anything. Everything his Uncle had said was true, and Zuko was too blind to see it. Now it was his turn to be ashamed. Only two people loved him. The one was now fuming at a stream, trying to get away from him, and the other was distracting him from everything that mattered.

"I will talk to the Avatar soon," Zuko ordered himself.

He went to the forest to find his Uncle.

A twig snapped behind him.

"Uncle?"

The men in green were not his Uncle. They were earth kingdom soldiers.

….

Aang heard it first. He ran through the hall knocking on Sokka and Katara's doors. Sokka came out, rubbing his eyes. Katara emerged looking the same.

"Aang! What's wrong?"

Aang stood in front of them

"Zuko and his Uncle were camping on the outskirts of Ba Seng Se, and they caught him! He's in jail right now!" Aang finished with a worried face.

"Zuko?" Katara squealed. Sokka and Aang looked over. She coughed.

"What is he doing in Ba Seng Se?" she recovered. It worked. On Aang.

"That's what I am going to find out, right now."

Sokka stared at him, his mouth open.

"You're going to see him?" Sokka said.

"Oh Sokka, he probably will have something to say to Aang," Katara said. Again, Aang and Sokka stared at her.

"What?" she asked innocently. Sokka shrugged it off.

"We're going with you," Sokka said. Aang nodded, not bothering to hide his happiness.

"Thanks."

Sokka returned the smile.

Katara was staring at the ground. She would see Zuko, but he would be an enemy. She shifted uncomfortably.

"I am gonna sit this one out guys," she said, struggling to hide her stressful look.

"What? Why?" Aang said immediately. Sokka was his friend, but Katara was much more comforting.

"Ya, why?" Sokka asked.

"Well, I am kinda tired, and I… need to do some stuff," she finished.

"I can think of a couple," Sokka growled. Katara glared at him. She knew he was talking about her kissing Zuko, or rather, the Blue Spirit.

"Oh, well that's ok," Aang said, shrugging. Katara felt a twinge of guilt. He was obviously very hurt.

"Sorry Aang. Maybe next time," she whispered, giving him a big hug. He smiled. She knew he would be okay.

….

Zuko was furious. This was not how it was suppose to go. He wanted to plan it out, not actually be caught. He had split seconds when he could've flamed them, but he was so amazed at the thought of him actually getting caught that he didn't think it was real.

"I can't believe this," he whispered. They had chained him and his hands were sealed into the wall. He could have still fire bended, his face was uncovered, but he was still too stunned.

"Well, believe it Zuko. You didn't even have to plan it, we were caught naturally. Isn't this wonderful?" Zuko cringed at his Uncle's voice. He was seriously happy. He sighed and let his chin rest on his chest.

"I guess," he said.

"Guess? This is what you wanted, right?" Iroh asked.

He mumbled a yes, and then closed his eyes. The door creaked open and there were murmuring voices. His eyes snapped open. This was his moment.

A/N: I have discussed this with my sis (dream royale) and we both agree that Aang and Zuko's friendship is soooo much more important now. I think that if there would ever be a Zutara, it would never happen like I plan it out in my fanfic, it would start with Aang and Zuko becoming friends, and they travel together, yadda yadda yadda, and it would be all happy-doody until Aang found out that there is some frission between Zuko and Katara therefore resulting in…

ZUTARA! Poor Aang. I don't know how he would take it if he found out that Katara loves Zuko…he would be devastated… Well, whatever it takes to push those two together, even if it means hurting my little Aangie….


	13. Chapter 13

Aang and Sokka walked into the jail cell, taking in their surroundings. It was dark and you could smell the reek of mildew covering them in a nasty silence.

"Zuko," Aang said, seeing white robes against the dark gray walls. The Prince merely looked up. Aang stepped back. There was no scowl, no growl or snide comment. His hair was no longer in a pony-tail. It had grown out, and was cut shorter. Aang briefly wondered how the soldiers had realized it was him. The monk's eyes wandered across the man's face, and came to rest on his scar. Oh.

Zuko watched as the boy searched him. He felt so bare, like the Avatar could see his every thought, and his thoughts were very unsettled. Where was she? Surely she was still traveling with them, she had said so. Not directly, but she had.

"Well," Sokka said, stepping over to him, "We meet again." Zuko made a mental note to never use that phrase.

"If you don't mind, this conversation is between the Avatar and me." There was a cough from the cell next to him. Zuko said.

"And my Uncle Iroh." Sokka looked to Aang and he nodded. It was between man and boy… and Uncle Iroh.

….

Katara was pacing in her room when Sokka emerged, carrying a sack of food.

"I can't believe it," he said, shoving a roll in his mouth.

"What? What happened?" Katara pulled him down, and he willingly sat on her bed.

"Well, Zuko said he wanted to talk to Aang alone, and Aang agreed! And then I went to town and I looked around for awhile, and I smelt a smell that smelled-" But Katara had stopped listening. She was ready to run to the jail and kiss Zuko. She was ready for Aang and Zuko to be friends. She started giggling at the thought of Zuko high-fiving Aang.

"I know! So I told her that was way too expensive, and then she went ahead and gave it to me just to get rid of me!" Sokka finished, also laughing. She nodded and pushed him out the room, even when Sokka protested loudly.

"Girls," he muttered, and walked to his room.

Katara leaned against her door. Everything would be perfect from now on.

….

….

….

….

Aang felt cold hatred beginning to well up inside him.

"Why are you here, Zuko?"

Here it was. Here was Zuko's chance.

"I have come to Ba Seng Se because my Uncle," there was another cough next door, and Zuko sighed, "My Uncle and I have come to seek your friendship." Aang's coldness drained, and his body filled with shocked amazement.

"I would also like to give you my support, to…defeat my father."

Aang was shocked into silence. Finally, he managed to say something along the lines of,  
"Okay." He sat down on a stool. It broke from the rotten pegs. Before Aang could fall he pushed himself up with a small burst of air. He leaned against the wall, rubbing his forehead. He was about to ask how he could trust him, when Zuko piped up.

"How old are you?"

Aang stared at him.

"112." This time, it was Zuko's turn to stare.

"And, you are okay with being that age?"

The monk shrugged.

"I would've never met Katara or Sokka," he said.

"I miss my people though," he whispered.

"So do I," Zuko said, but not in a selfish way, but in a comforting way.

"I still have to master earth and fire before I can do anything to stop the war," Aang said absently.

"A fire bending monk? It doesn't seem….like you," Zuko muttered, also staring into the ground, thinking about all the people at the palace that he missed.

"I don't look forward to it," Aang said, suddenly sad.

"Remember the friend I told you about?" Aang said, looking up to meet Zuko's gaze. Zuko shifted uncomfortably in his shackles. His Uncle didn't know anything about this.

"Yes," Zuko muttered.

"Well, he was a fire bender. He never used it though. He always said that as a bender, he never wanted so much responsibility; he never wanted to wield such large amounts of power. He never even lit a candle. I wish I could show him how much responsibility I have now. He might've considered fire-bending," Aang looked down.  
"What was his name again?" Zuko said. Aang glanced at him.

"Kuzan, have you heard about him?"

Zuko frowned.  
"No," he lied. But he did. He was the leader of the strongest rebellion against the war long before Zuko was born. His grandfather sent him to his immediate death. He was the first death that Azulan had sentenced as firelord.

"That's okay," Aang said brightly. He stood up.

"You seek an alliance with me and my friends," Aang said, suddenly business-like.

Zuko nodded.

"Zuko, I grant you the alliance under one rule. You cannot stop me from killing the firelord." Zuko sighed. This was it. Once he gave his word, he knew he would never be able to go back.

"I give you my word."

Aang nodded to a guard, who cautiously went to unshackle him.

"My Uncle…" Zuko said, but he guard had already walked over to the other cell. Zuko rubbed his wrists and looked down at the boy. Something flickered across his face and he turned to leave.

"Avatar Aang," Zuko called.

The monk turned to look at his new friend.

Zuko put his hands together and bowed.

"Thank you," he said. Aang bowed back.

"No, thank you," he said and walked away. Zuko sighed.

He had completed the most important thing that he would do in his entire life.

Now, he was a fire nation enemy.

….

….

….

….

Aang was suddenly very tired. He still wasn't sure about Zuko's intentions, but he made a pretty convincing statement. Aang smiled to himself as he walked the long row of stairs up to his floor. Zuko and Aang were friends. Prince Zuko of the fire nation. Aang rubbed his forehead. He hoped Sokka and Katara were asleep. He wasn't sure if he could handle their questions. He hadn't quite gotten over the fact that he let, possibly one of the most dangerous enemies he had out of jail, free to roam around Ba Seng Se. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming, or crazy, or genius, all he knew is that he was tired. He opened the door to his floor and peeked around the corner, no one was there. He stepped out, and tip-toed past Sokka and Katara's door. He reached his door and he relaxed.

_Ccccrrrreeeeeaaaaakkkkk…_

Woops.

"Aang? Aang is that you?" Sokka asked. Aang ran into his room and threw himself on his bed, closing his eyes and making his breathing heavy. He used to do this to Kiatso all the time, and then he would scare him. He didn't plan on scaring them though. Hopefully they wouldn't bother him if they saw that he was asleep. Hopefully, they had a little respect for his privacy.

"No! Do not go in there! He is probably asleep and tired!" Katara's voice wafted from the outside of his door. Aang flipped over and watched as Sokka and Katara's shadows moved around from under the crack of the door.

"Guys!" he called tiredly. They continued to argue.

"Guys!" he called again, sitting up.

"GUYS!" Aang yelled, standing up. There was silence.

"Was that him? Great you woke him up!" Katara hissed. She opened the door and looked in.

"Sorry, Aang, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore," she said sympathetically. Aang smiled gratefully.

"And when I put Sokka to bed, we can talk about what happened." He groaned.

"Kidding," Katara said quickly. She withdrew her head and Aang heard her and Sokka close their doors.

"Sleep," Aang whispered. He dreamt that Sokka and Katara became vegetarians and Zuko fell in love with a chicken leg…

A/N: Nothing much to say. I like this chapter. Well, thanks for the reviews people. Please continue!

Oh and here is my thank you list:

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Okay, so now you're thinking, okay, she just wrote every reviewer she ever had, and yes, I did. Sooooo, I love you guys, not in that way but as giving me that happy feeling and making my day everytime you write. Please at a cupcake from me...;)


	14. Chapter 14

Zuko knew that what he had done was treasonous, and foolish, and one of the most idiotic things he had ever done in his entire life, but he also knew that he was now a friend of the Avatar.

"Zuko, you should be happy. The Avatar will now accept you into his world," Iroh had told him. Katara's world. He felt a twinge of jealousy. The Avatar got to spend all his time with her, but Zuko had had a few precious minutes. He was already having mixed feelings about his situation.

….

Iroh knew Zuko would need some time alone, so he went to the city to think. He heard of an herbalist that had wonderful tea, and he wanted to stock up on some medicines in case one of them became sick. He walked around the city, enjoying the sites and finally, he found the shop he'd been looking for. A young lady and an elder lady were discussing different teas when he walked in. A small bell rung and they both looked up. He smiled and nodded his head politely. He walked around the small shop, enjoying the soothing smell of incense. He felt relaxed and peaceful whenever he smelled herbs.

"May I help you dear?" a lady asked.

"No, I am just looking," Iroh said, pleasantly. He wandered over to the other two women in the store. He couldn't help but over-hear their conversation.

"-and they are moving! I was so surprised. I couldn't help but be happy, though. That water-tribe boy's laundry is so rancid!" Iroh's attention was instantly captured.

"Where are they going?" the other lady asked.

"Last time I heard, the earth-bending teacher was a real hot-head, and he demanded that they come to his city. It's a small town, you might know it. It's called Beijing. It's not very popular. Most thought it deserted, but I guess not…"

Iroh had stopped listening. The Avatar and his guests were moving out of town. Zuko would not be pleased…

….

….

….

Katara, Sokka and Aang sat in front of the king, expecting good news about the arrival of Aang's earth-bending teacher.

"Your teacher, young Avatar, is not coming. He wishes you to have this, and he also asks that you come to him, rather than he comes to you."

Immediately, Aang stood up.

"What? Why?"

"It's in the letter," the king said, shrugging. He was a generous man, but he was lazy. He was wise to choose a city that was so low-maintenance.

Aang took the letter back to his room and Sokka and Katara followed, all wondering where they would end up next. He opened it once they were safe and alone inside the room. Sokka and Katara read it over Aang's shoulder.

_My newest student,_

_Earthbending is all about letting the energy of the earth come to you, rather than you grasping it from your surroundings. This is your first test. You will not fine the location of my where-abouts enclosed, nor am I giving you any clues. I will only tell you I am at a city called Beijing and that it will not be on any map that you come across. Unless you are companions with someone very wise and very knowledgeable (which I doubt even he or she will know) you will not find us until you can will the energy to come to you… _

_Good Luck,_

_Sanjiv of Beijing_

Sokka snorted.

"Sanjiv…" he fell and rolled around, laughing hysterically. Katara and Aang were serious.

"Well, I guess we'll start packing then," Katara said, choosing her words carefully.

"I guess, but Sanjiv," Aang thought out loud. Sokka started laughing even more as Aang used his name, "told me that on my way there, I would have to let the earth come to me. I don't like the sound of that…"

Katara laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You'll do fine," she said. He smiled. Sokka stood up.

"So, what are we supposed to do?"

"Well, Sanjiv…" Aang said, and Sokka started laughing.

"I am going to go pack," Katara said, rolling her eyes at the crying Sokka.

"Good idea," Aang said. He wasn't sure how long it would take for them to get kicked out of here. Earth benders were pretty brutal…

….

….

….

Zuko sat on her balcony, waiting to hear someone come in. He just had to say good-bye. Uncle had told him they were moving, and he had finally agreed. He was sure Katara and his paths would cross again. They had to.

A light flooded the room and Zuko slipped inside the door. He looked up.

Oh. It wasn't her. He quickly put his hand over the girl's mouth to stop her from screaming.

"I am not here to hurt you, I promise, I just need to know where the girl who stayed here before is."

The maid looked at him, obviously terrified.

"She, she moved," she said confused.

"Which room?"

"No, to a different city. The Avatar is traveling to his earth-bending teacher."

Zuko stared at her, stunned. She had left without a thought of saying good-bye. She didn't care. Zuko backed up a little, and the maid relaxed when he wasn't so close.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, timidly.

"No, um, no. Everything is fine," he whispered through his mask, and turned to disappear into the street below.

….

Iroh looked up from his rock.

"Ready?" he asked. He was glad they would be moving. He was getting tired of this place. Little did Zuko know that Iroh was planning something.

"Yes, I _am_ ready. Thank you for asking. I can see it's a very critical part of _every_ trip that you make sure I am ready. You can stop nagging me all the time Uncle. I am a grown man now!" he snapped, grabbing his pack and stalking off in the a random direction. Iroh stared at his nephew's fuming back. Something was horribly wrong…

….

"I love being back to the old days. Just us three traveling," Aang said, leaning back in Appa's saddle. Appa let out a moan of agreement. The animal hadn't flown in days.

"I hate traveling," Sokka said, shivering. It was morning and the sun hadn't even risen yet.

"I will comment later, when it's warmer. And when I'm not asleep," Katara muttered.

"Good idea," Aang said, and leaned back. Sokka looked from Katara, to Aang and back to Katara.

"Fine, leave me all alone with no one to talk to," Sokka said, and he too, turned on his side, and in minutes was fast asleep. Katara looked over and saw Aang sleeping too. She turned in her belly and watched the landscape rush under her. She was furious with herself. Zuko would be so mad. He would have wanted to say good-bye. Atleast, that's the type he seemed like. She didn't have time. They were up and packed and ready minutes after they had received the letter. She rolled over and stared at the sky. He would be fine with it. She just knew he would…

….

Iroh noticed more and more how Zuko was acting. His back went back to being straight, and his pompous attitude was back in a couple of hours. He desperately wanted to ask his nephew what was wrong, but knew whatever wound it was, it would take it's own sweet time to heal.

….

Zuko was more than furious. He was hurt. Here was the first girl he had been with, and she throws him away like he is nothing more than a scrap of cloth. He was better than that. He was better than her. She was just some sweet-talking peasant that happened to be on the prowl, and he should've resisted her. He shouldn't have let his guard down. He was a fool for thinking anyone could love him besides his Uncle. But not that he was in such a bad mood, he wasn't sure if his Uncle even loved him…

….

….

….

They landed in a nice little clearing in the woods.

"I wonder if we are even going in the right direction," Sokka muttered around his food.

"I'm not sure, but I can feel something, it's almost calling me, and that's why I think we're going the right way," Aang said happily. He looked to Katara, who wasn't touching her food.

"Um, Katara what's wrong?" he asked shyly. He wasn't sure if she was in a bad mood or a good mood. Sokka had taught him about girls' moods.

"Nothing. I am going to go and explore," she said. She stood up and walked into the forest.

"She is so moody," Sokka said, rolling his eyes. A water-whip came out of no where, and hit him squarely in the back of the head.

A/N: I like this chapter. I love Zuko, but he has to get back into his usual bossy mood. It could've been worse! I could've made him really out of character and then start crying... so look on the bright side: Zuko on his usual hot-head attitude (and by hot I mean oh-so-dreamy hot) or I could make him a wittle baby! So I thought I would dedicate this chapter to a certain someone...

someone who wrote me a review that made me run around in the streets hugging random people. Yes, NightDove, I ran around and hugged hobo's and bikers, and even a little girl who was roller-blading wth her friend. I cannot tell you enough how much I loved that review. Tonight, I will print it out, and tape it to my ceiling, so I will always be able to look at it and remember that I am acutally kinda good. NightDove, this chapter is for you. I hope you like it.


	15. Chapter 15

Katara wandered around the woods. How was she supposed to know how Zuko would take to the fact that she didn't say good-bye? It bothered her. The thought of her kissing the old Zuko was awful and vivid in her mind. She believed she loved a different man, who had saved her life, who had danced with her, who had loved her back. She wished he was here right now to comfort her and tell her the Prince of the fire-nation was gone, and Zuko was here. She wondered briefly what he was doing.

….

"No, Uncle, nothing happened!" Zuko said, barely containing his voice. His Uncle was so infuriating sometimes.

"Alright Zuko," his Uncle said, "But if something did, then I will always be here for you."

Zuko looked away. He couldn't glare or scowl at him, he still appreciated the old man, but he couldn't thank him. He was too mad.

Iroh rolled onto his side, facing away from the fire. Zuko stared at his back. Here was the man that loved him. Here was the man that traveled with him. Here was the man that cared for his well-being. And here Zuko was pushing him away. He was ashamed of his actions, but still didn't think that his Uncle would ever know how much. He lay down and stared into the hot coals, letting them dry his moist eyes. He hated having two faces. They were constantly battling each other. The Blue Spirit loves Katara and his Uncle, but Zuko continued to think of them as the water-peasant and the large package he had to lug around whenever he traveled.

He wondered when the Blue Spirit would defeat Zuko…

….

….

….

Katara was back to her old, happy self. She concluded she was like this every time they traveled on Appa. It felt so great to be flying. She wondered if this is how Aang feels whenever he is on his glider. She wasn't jealous. She was just amazed at how lucky he was. He could experience everything in the world. He could listen to the earth, and move the water around him, and feel the hot passion of fire race in his veins. And he could fly. He was just a really lucky person. He also had to take on some of the most difficult jobs ever, like defeating the firelord, for example…

Sokka woke up from his "short" three-hour nap. Katara reached out to tap Aang on the shoulder to wake him up.

"Wait, Katara don't do that," Sokka said, grabbing her hand.

"Why? What is it?" she asked alarmed.

"He's not Aang, he's a giant man-eating hippo!" Sokka said.

"Go back to sleep Sokka," she said, and gently shook Aang. His eyes were already half-open.

"Do I look like a giant hippo to you Sokka?" he muttered. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Aang, I think we should land and walk a little ways," Katara said.

"Really? How come?"

"Well, Sokka was right that one time. Appa is really noticeable, and there aren't any clouds to usually cover us. I think our best bet is to be safe than sorry."

Aang shrugged and nodded. He bounced onto Appa's head, and steered him down. They landed and looked around them. It was really quiet. That didn't seem to worry Sokka though.

"So, why are we landing, Aang?" he said loudly. Aang and Katara immediately shushed him. Aang bent down and put his hand to the ground.

"I think everything is fine," he said. He reached for any and all life around him, and he heard birds twitter in a distance.

"Birds here travel together, not separate, and there is only one group, so I think we are okay to stay on ground."

"I hope," Katara said, looking around.

….

….

On top of being a confused and lonely and hurt person, Zuko had to deal with something else while he traveled.

"Stupid birds, how many of them are there?" Zuko fumed.

"Birds are just misfortunate creatures that were given the gift of flight, but for the price of having a high-pitched voice," Iroh said, defending the birds. Zuko had no idea why, but he sort of understood. He could feel the pain of being able to do something, but for a price. He stared at the ground in front of him, getting lost in the swirling dust. Iroh watched with a twinge of pain. He could see how hurt his nephew was, and he didn't want that for him. He set a hand on Zuko's shoulder, and Zuko considered shrugging it off. But he didn't. He could really feel the sorrow and love and pain and care, coming from the spot where his Uncle was touching him. He liked it being there. It was like knowledge that good things were to come.

….

….

….

"I think we are… closer to Sanjiv," Aang said. He was looking at the ground and the trees, and the bugs.

"Your powers of perception are frightening," Sokka said, tired from walking all day. It was their fourth day walking, fifth from leaving Ba Seng Se. And they were all tired and grumpy.

Aang looked around and saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"A road?" he asked, more to himself than to his companions.

"Don't joke," Sokka said, rubbing his aching muscles.

"I'm not, look!" Aang said, running forward and flinging himself onto the ground.

"I don't believe it, a road! I love roads, almost as much as meat," he said, and joined Aang.

"I'm sure," Katara said, saying something for the first time in a while.

"I know, I was joking then, but seriously, do you think this is the road to Beijing?" Sokka asked, looking up at Aang. The monk finished brushing himself off, contemplating whether there would be a road to his mysterious destiny.

"I think I need to meditate before I can decide," Aang said, shrugging.

Sokka groaned something about freaky Avatar stuff. Katara dragged him off into the forest to set up camp.

Aang watched them go and sat down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Focus all energy on his surroundings. Breathe in the life force. Breathe in the knowledge. A bee buzzed behind his ear, and birds twittered somewhere to his left, and a twig snapped on his right. Whispers? Was that people talking? His eyes snapped open and he jumped up. He immediately grabbed his staff and started searching the forest for whomever it was that was talking. He stumbled though the vines and looked around. No one… that was odd. He turned and walked back into the small clearing. He looked up to see he was not alone…

"Zuko?" Aang asked. They took their fighting stances and then they remembered. Friends. Aang stood up and blushed.

"Instinct," he muttered.

"Ya," Zuko agreed.

"So, um what are you-" Aang began, but there was a disturbance to the right. Aang looked up to see someone enter their conversation.

"Zuko! I found some berries that are supposed to heal the deepest of wounds, and are safe to eat! Either that or they spread a deadly rash, and if you eat them, your tongue will swell to the size of a-"

"Uncle, this is Avatar Aang. You have met before, but in different circumstances," Zuko gestured to Aang.

Aang bowed.

"I have heard much about you, Dragon of the West," Aang said.

Dragon? Zuko didn't know of _that_ title.

"And I of you, young Avatar. I heard you air monks love tea," Iroh said, with a pleased look on his face. Zuko let out a small groan.

"Actually, I used to drink lots of tea. It became kind of a tradition with my master, along with our favorite game. Pai Cho." Iroh's grin became even wider.

"We will get along very well, young Avatar," Iroh said, bowing. Aang returned it again. Then, the young boy had a idea.

"Zuko, what would you say if I asked you to travel with us?" Aang asked. They were friends right? And this way if Zuko didn't see them as the greatest of friends and still had thoughts of capturing him, he could keep a better eye on him.

Before Zuko could say anything, Aang dropped to the ground. For a second, Zuko thought he was going to beg him to, but he was touching the ground with his palm. Zuko watched with interest as the Avatar closed his eyes and listened. A couple of minutes passed.

"My friends are fighting," Aang said. He could feel the vibrations of their feet moving around and their voices moving through the trees' roots.

"If you would like to accompany me, then we can talk about this more," Aang said, gesturing towards the woods. Zuko was stunned to silence. First he was asked to accompany the Avatar, and then some kind of scary magic had just occurred right in front of him.

"We would love to," Iroh said, and followed Aang into the woods. Why didn't Uncle seem surprised at what had just happened? Zuko reluctantly followed the two. The Avatar would every once in a while listen to a tree, and change course, but it didn't take much time for them to reach a camp. A fire was in the middle and two logs had been set on each side. It was next to a stream.

Zuko recognized the water-tribe boy, but didn't see Katara. He studied the boy, who was now glaring away from them at the stream.

"Um, Sokka?" Aang asked. The boy turned, and Iroh gasped.

The boy had a bloodied lip and had a black left eye.

"She is the most-" but he stopped when he saw who was with his friend. His eyes rested on Zuko.

"Aang, what's going on?"

"Well, they are going to travel with us," Aang said.

"Wait a minute," Sokka and Zuko said together.

"Hold on," Zuko said, "I never said we were traveling together."

"I never gave you permission," Sokka said.

"I don't need your permission," Zuko snapped at the boy. Sokka threw a hateful look at him.

Aang and Iroh looked at each other with a knowing look. This conversation could only end badly.

A/N: The gang will now have a brand new definition. It will be Zuko, Iroh, Aang, Sokka and Katara….everybody go aaaaaaw! I know. I just had to. How else would Zutara take place? R & R!


	16. Chapter 16

Zuko and Sokka glared at each other.

"Break it up guys," Aang said, pushing them apart.

"Sokka, what happened to you? Where's Katara?" Aang asked. Zuko twitched. He hated it when the boy said her name.

"She and I got in a fight, and she…I fell into the stream and cut myself," he explained.

"Why aren't you wet?" Zuko sneered. Katara had beaten him up!

"I dried off," Sokka said, with equal malice.

At this point, Katara came storming back into the camp wearing a florid face. She was soaking wet.

"Sokka you are the most sexist, insensitive, ungrateful little twit I have ever-" she stopped short and looked up at the people around her.

"I missed something," she said. As she walked towards him, Zuko watched with fascination as she bent the water off and the droplets hung in midair before dropping to the ground. For a second she looked like a spirit, with the water floating around her. And then she was just as beautiful as before.

Aang took up conversation again.

"Sokka what did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" Sokka protested.

"I still want to know why they're here," Katara said, crossing her arms.

"That's a great idea, why don't we all sit and talk about some things," Aang said, eager to change the subject. He hated it when Katara and Sokka fought.

"Please, take a seat," Aang said pointing around the fire.

Katara sat next to Aang (much to Zuko's displeasure) carefully avoiding Zuko's eyes, and Sokka (much to Katara's displeasure) sat next to her. Iroh sat next to Sokka and Zuko sat against a tree in the shadows, in between Iroh and Aang. Much to Sokka's displeasure, Zuko kept his eyes on Katara. Iroh also noticed it.

"I see," Iroh whispered, realizing his nephews troubled thoughts were about the girl.

"What?" Aang asked.

"Nothing I just haven't sat down in a while," he said.

"What," Sokka sneered, "does Zuko never give you a break? He _is_ a very bossy guy." Zuko chose to ignore him. He was very close to burning him to a crisp though.

"Anyway," Aang said loudly, "I though Zuko and Iroh should travel with us." At once there was a clatter of things being knocked over and there was yelling. Aang threw a large gust of wind around him that blew out the fire. Everyone except Zuko landed on their backs. He hadn't moved from his spot against the tree.

"Quiet people!" Aang yelled. Everyone stilled and they watched as Aang calmly sat down.

"Where are you traveling to?" Aang asked Zuko and Iroh. Zuko shrugged.

"I have no idea," he said. He didn't really care.

"We are going somewhere to get some tea. It's a small town. You probably won't know it. It's called Beijing and they have wonderful and exotic foods there," Iroh smiled happily for reasons only he understood.

Everyone was dead silent.

"You've got to be kidding me," Zuko said, sitting up.

They were all still silent.

"Does that mean-" Katara trailed off, shaking her head at the coincidential situation they were in.

"Well we aren't going that way," Sokka said abruptly.

"That's where Sanjiv said we were supposed to go," Aang said. Before anyone could say anything else, Aang decided what was going to happen.

"All right, we either don't travel together, but see each other on the same road everyday, or we travel together and make everything easier. Who votes first choice, no one, okay, so second choice it is, we are traveling together no problems with each other, right? The past is the past and it's over, why don't we help our new friends with their stuff, Sokka don't give me that look and Katara please heal him, he looks pretty bad, you don't give me that look either!" And in a blur, Zuko and Iroh's stuff was sitting at the camp (there wasn't much stuff anyway) and Aang was pleading Katara to "heal" her brother.

"Not until he apologizes," she said stubbornly. Sokka touched his lip and looked down.

"I'm sorry Katara," he eventually said. She perked up and smiled at her brother. Zuko wished it was directed towards him. He expected her to get herbs out and dab something on his face, but instead, she bended some water out of the stream and covered her hand in it like a glove. She touched his face and it looked as if she was erasing his bruises and his lip slowly shrunk back to its rightful size.

"That was truly amazing," Iroh said from beside Zuko. She nodded at him and smiled. She finished it by splashing Sokka in the face and she lay back down on her bed roll, smirking.

She hadn't even looked at Zuko once. Did she still love him? Did he still love her? He lay back on his bed and nodded off.

He was shaken awake. He had just dozed off seconds ago hadn't he? He opened his eyes. It was dark and the moon had risen over their camp. He looked up to see two bright blue eyes peering at him from a foot away.

"Katara? What are you-" She grabbed his hand and pulled him up. He willingly followed her and she finally stopped when they were far enough away that they couldn't hear them talk.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Zuko I really wanted to say good-bye but I couldn't just tell them, they would hate me and they would hate you! You know that we can't tell them, right?" she asked desperately.

"No actually, I don't. If you really loved me, you would tell them, not hide it from the world," he said, and he started to stalk back to the camp.

"What would you know about love?" she whispered and threw herself down on the ground to think. She thought he hadn't heard, but he did. He turned back towards her and watched guiltily as she tilted her head to the ground, tears welling up inside her eyes. He went back to where she was sitting and sat next to her. He took her into his arms.

"I understand," he said. And that was all she needed to hear.

….

They stayed like that until early morning, and then Katara gently lifted his arm off her shoulder and kissed his cheek. She went back to her bed and pretended to fall asleep. Aang woke up first, and then Iroh, and then she felt it was safe to wake up. She stood and stretched. She yawned, but it turned out to be real.

"Hey Katara! Seen Zuko anywhere?" Aang asked. She shook her head.

"No, last time I saw him he was asleep next to Iroh," she lied. She felt guilty doing it, but knew it was for everyone's sake…

….

….

….

When Zuko woke up, he thought maybe he had had a dream. But once he looked around, he realized that it hadn't been and he leaned back and smiled. Katara. He closed his eyes and thought of her soft lips brushing his own. It had to be love. He had felt no other feeling like it.

"Zuko?"

His thoughts were shattered by the Avatar's calls.

"I'm over here," Zuko said, standing and realizing how much it hurt to sleep propped up on a log. He rubbed his eyes with the bottom of his hands and looked up to see a little yellow and red blur. He stepped through the forest towards him, and when he finally got there, the Avatar jumped all around him.

"How come you were sleeping in the forest? Did you sleep well? Are you a morning person? I wouldn't know right?" and he let out an annoying, but comforting laugh. Zuko hardly knew this kid, but he liked how he talked when he didn't hate you.

He followed the monk back to camp, and this time, Katara looked up and smiled at him, and he smiled back. It was a lot better than completely avoiding each other…

….

Iroh looked to the girl, to Zuko and back again. He smiled to himself. Zuko already seemed a lot happier. He wondered what had happened between them. He saw the girl arrive early in the morning. He knew Zuko was a responsible man, so he didn't dwell on it.

….

Sokka looked up. Iroh was smiling, Katara was smiling, Aang was smiling (as always) and even Zuko was smiling! He frowned.

"Stop smiling!" he yelled at the innocent people. He stalked off down the stream.

"He can't take too much happiness," Katara explained. Iroh looked down.

"I am hungry, so I think I will go and get some of those berries I found earlier. I realized," he laughed, "I mistook them for poison…" Iroh laughed and stood up and walked out of the camp. Sokka howled from somewhere down the stream, and Aang decided he had better go down and check. Zuko and Katara were alone.

"You know we can't tell them anything," Katara muttered, scanning the trees for signs of Sokka and Aang.

"Why not? We could just fall in love again, and then they can't be mad at us," he said.

"No, there's another problem," Katara said, looking up from tying her bundle together.

"Oh really? And what's that?"

"Aang will kill you."

A/N: Short chapter, really short chapter, but I absolutely LOVE IT. Just so you don't get confused, nothing rated M for mature, but they were just there, and they kissed, but they didn't do anything… They didn't even make-put or anything. I think I'm rated K, but I promise, there was nothing there. I went back and added that part where Iroh said that Zuko was a responsible man, and I hope you caught that. If you have any problems with my ratings, please tell me. But I seriously am not going M rated. Nothing that bad will happen between them. Their 14 and 16 (I think) so I doubt something would happen.

Have fun with this chapter. Yay for Zutara! Yay for enclosed clearings where Zuko and Katara can be alone! Yay love! Yay french vanilla coffee!


	17. Chapter 17

They were all ready and moving minutes after they woke up, but that didn't mean they were mentally ready. Glares and smiles bounced off so many faces it made Aang sick to watch it. He flew on his glider a little ways but when he went back to give them news, Sokka and Zuko were yelling at each other, on the brink of a fist fight, and Katara was flitting around them trying to get them to calm down. Aang landed and ran up to them.

"You should probably shut up now!" Zuko said, dropping his pack and clenching his fists. They were inches away from each other and smoke was starting to curl from Zuko's fists.

"Why don't you make me?" Sokka dared.

"I don't have to, if I give you food, you'll shove it in your mouth and you won't talk for a couple of hours!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I forgot," Zuko laughed, "Your tiny little brain can't handle so many words!"

And with that, Sokka pushed Zuko as hard as possible and then he watched as Zuko's face turned from amazed, then to mad, then to furious.

"Did you just-just _push me_?" Zuko said. Zuko pointed two fingers at Sokka's chest.  
"Let's get something straight, you will never push me again or I will-"

Sokka pushed him.

"That's it!" Zuko yelled and before Aang could do anything, he had lunged at Sokka and they were rolling on the ground.

"Oh!" Sokka said, kicking Zuko away, "And stay away from my sister! I see you smiling at her all the time!" Zuko groaned and grabbed his stomach.

"I-" he said kicking Sokka back, "Have no clue what you are talking about, you idiotic, selfish pig!" Aang grabbed Sokka and tried to pull him away, but without thinking, Sokka elbowed Aang right in the nose, and immediately, blood spurted everywhere. Aang looked taken aback for a second, then he was furious.

"Hey!" Aang yelled at the top of his lungs. The two boys stopped fighting and looked up, surprised at Aang's big voice and surprised at the blood that was now dripping down his chin.

"If you guys can't be mature enough to get along, then I will personally keep you guys apart. If you want that, continue fighting, please!" Sokka and Zuko scrambled away from each other and then realized what they had done. Zuko had a hint of shame in his frown, and Sokka hung his head.

"Sorry Aang," Sokka muttered.

"Sorry Avatar," Zuko said. He turned sharply and picked up his pack. He continued to walk down the road, without signs of stopping.

"I had better go get him," Iroh said, and started to follow him.

"No, I will," Aang said, and he opened his glider. The three watched his form against the sky.

"Aang was always a peace maker. Ever since we knew each other he was the sweetest, most innocent person I'd ever met. He still is," Katara said, watching him.

"Are you...together?" Iroh asked cautiously. Katara looked at him like he was crazy.

"N-no! Of course not! No, he may be 112 years old, but we have completely different maturity levels."

"Oh," Iroh said, glad that Zuko hadn't fallen in love with… someone different than he thought.

"Anyway," Sokka said, piping up, "Katara isn't interested in guys. Right Katara?" he asked. She squirmed uncomfortably.

"How would you know that? Have you ever read my mind?" she asked, avoiding the question.

"Wait, so, you are?"

"Are what?" she huffed, and she stood up and stormed into the forest, daring anyone to follow her.

"Girls," Sokka said.

"When I was your age, I had lots of girls around me that were her age. I think she is interested in guys. Have you ever noticed anything?" Iroh asked. Sokka stared at him.

"Well, there was this one guy…" the water-tribe boy looked down and stared at the dust. He was drawing something with his boot.

"Who was it?" Iroh asked.

"His name was Jet. Aang and Katara thought he was innocent and a great guy, and I am pretty sure Katara liked him," he looked up, "I mean, like-liked. And then we found out he was going to wipe out an entire earth kingdom village just to get rid of some fire benders."

Iroh was taken aback by this.

"What happened?" he asked, wanting the ending, but praying it would be happy.

"I warned the villagers, and Jet was iced to a tree by my sister," he smiled proudly at that thought. His sister was really powerful.

Iroh thought of Zuko iced to a tree, and chuckled. Sokka smiled too at the look on Jet's face.

"Sokka, Zuko is coming, and he's not gonna talk to you, and you're not gonna talk to him, right?" Aang landed and twirled his staff.

"Ya whatever, what's for lunch?"

And that's how it went: Sokka carefully averting Zuko's eyes, and Zuko carefully averting Sokka's eyes, and walking with his Uncle. Katara would look back at him every once in a while and he would smile at her. Sokka noticed this, and it took all of his control to stop himself from blowing up. But it was kinda funny, because the vein in his head looked like he really was going to explode, and on the fifth time Zuko smiled at his sister, he made a gagging/coughing/choking noise. Everyone decided it was probably time to stop.

….

Much to Sokka's displeasure, Zuko and Katara were nominated to go fishing.

"Uh, no that's okay, I'll go!" Sokka said. Everyone stopped and stared at him.

Finally, Katara managed to choke something out:

"But-but, you never work! You barely get up in the morning!" He glared at her and grabbed the sharpened stick.

"I'll come back with dinner! And then we'll judge who's lazy or not," Sokka said, and he thrashed through the forest. Zuko shrugged and leaned back on a tree.

"How about, while we wait, we tell stories of our adventures!" Iroh said, grinning widely.

"Uncle, we don't have any stories," Zuko pointed out. Iroh's smile didn't dim in the slightest.

"Nephew, we do! Don't you remember all the good times we had together back at the palace?"  
"Uncle, I don't think-"

"There was this once time…"

"Uncle, please-"

"When Zuko was just a little tyke, maybe eight years old, he decided he wanted to be a master-"

"Uncle!"

"Oh, Zuko! I will only tell this one!" Zuko rolled his eyes and Iroh took that as a yes.

"Well, he wanted to be a master, so he went to me, and he told me he was going to go become one that day. His sister, Azula, told him that you had to climb a mountain and jump off of it. So I followed him and watched, and he did just that, he climbed a small hill, and he jumped right off of it!" Iroh leaned back and laughed. Aang and Katara stared at him.

"Well, what happened?" Aang finally said, looking to Zuko for some help.

"I'm not talking," Zuko said stubbornly.

"He fell, and he broke his finger!" Iroh said through his tears.

"Did it heal?" Katara asked, not seeing much humor in the fact that Zuko threw himself off of a cliff.

"Eventually, it did, but our healers weren't the best at that time, so, it took a while," Iroh explained.

"Well, that was hilarious," Zuko said sarcastically. "Why don't you tell a story," he asked Aang, who was looking rather bored.

"Okay, well…" he thought for a moment. Katara prayed he would not tell the story about Jet. She wasn't sure how Zuko would take that.

"Oh! I have one, when we were traveling through a forest," Katara racked her brain trying to think of another time besides when they met Jet that they traveled through a forest. None came to mind. "And we came across a fire-nation troop, maybe, thirty guys, right Katara?" She choked and turned to him and nodded. Zuko gave her a quizical look and she ignored it.

"Ya, so thirty guys, and then, these teenagers, most about Katara's age, well hese boys came swinging out of the trees and they took 'em all out! It was amazing! I had never seen anyone fight that good without bending. Well, except one guy…" Aang said, thinking about Zuko's swordsmanship.

"So anyway," the boy continued, "These people called themselves freedom-fighters, and the leader was named Jet." Katara winced at the name, and she didn't see Zuko watching her.

"And he took us to the middle of the forest, and he gave a rope to Sokka, and then I jumped up, and then Jet helped Katara climb up, and it was amazing wasn't it Katara?" She nodded slowly and stared into the flames. She remembered the feeling of butterflies in her stomach, the same way she had felt when Zuko had first kissed her...

"And so we found out, he was evil, and then Katara and I fought him, and then Katara iced him against a tree and it was so incredible, and Sokka saved the villagers that were gonna get harmed, and boy was that an adventure!" Aang leaned back and smiled. He looked around him, his eyes finally resting on Katara.  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Aang asked, suddenly concerned.

She looked up at Zuko, who looked kind of confused.

"I am going to go check on Sokka," she said, and stood to go wander in the forest.

"Did I say something wrong?" Aang said, looking after her. Zuko hated how he watched her.

"I'll go check on her," Zuko said, and before anyone could stop and question him, he had stumbled into the forest after her.

A/N: Today is the day! The wonderful, wonderful day! I cannot wait, for this wonderful day to start! I love today! I love today so much! Do you know why?

Readers: No. Why?

Me: BECAUSE THE SECOND SEASON AVATAR PREMIERES TONIGHT SILLYS! IN FOUR HOURS AND 35 MINUTES AND... 21 SECONDS!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!


	18. Chapter 18

Katara stepped over fallen tree limbs, and she wrapped her arms around her, trying to keep her thoughts from escaping. She had always put this out of her mind, but now she had to face it. She sat down on a log and she sighed. Zuko knew so little about her, and she trusted him so much. What about what happened between Jet? And the cave of two lovers? What would he say when he found out Katara had kissed Aang! She shuddered. She could imagine them in a fight, she had seen it so many times, but she couldn't picture them fighting over her. Aang was so protective, and on top of that, she was sure he had feelings for her. Feelings as in, more than sisterly feelings. She heard someone creep up behind her. She felt a hot breath, and then there was a gentle kiss on her cheek. Zuko walked around and sat next to her. They were silent for a moment, enjoying the peaceful moment.

"Jet," Zuko muttered, looking forward.

"Zuko, please," Katara begged. She couldn't take a fight right now.

"I'm just asking. I assume you had a thing for him?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Well, it was just a little thing. But, you have to understand, that is over. I'm through with him."

"Okay," he said.

"Please Zuko, it was really truly nothing. Nothing happened," she said.

"Katara, I believe you," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. He glanced over at her. She sighed and leaned her forehead on his shoulder.

He lifted her chin up and he kissed her lightly. She smiled up at his beautiful eyes. It was like looking at the sunset whenever you want.

She kissed him and his hands snaked around her neck. There was a crash in the trees not too far away, and the kiss was broken as Katara looked up, alarmed. Zuko groaned inwardly. He hated disturbances.

"What was that?" she asked, looking harder towards the crash.

"Who cares," Zuko muttered. She looked sharply at him and he couldn't help but love it when she looked at him like that. Zuko dropped his hands and she didn't seem to notice. He looked around too, wondering if they would ever have a peaceful moment. She suddenly pushed him off the log with all her strength.

"Oh my gosh, Zuko are you okay?" she asked, not being able to contain a small smile at how bewildered he looked. He stared at her. She was the one that had just pushed him off!

"What was that about?" he said, but that was soon answered. Sokka climbed into their "private" area, carrying a huge fish.

"Hey guys, look what I-" he paused and looked from Katara to Zuko, and noticed that Zuko was on the ground, and Katara was crouched in front of him.

"Uh, Zuko, get away from my sister," he demanded, as if it was obvious what Zuko was trying to do.

"Don't get any ideas, Sokka. We were just talking," Zuko said, pushing himself up. Sokka continued to eye him as if he had just murdered someone.

"I will see you guys back at the camp," Katara said in a hurry. She escaped from the tension. Zuko was still a prisoner of Sokka's wrath.

"Well, I'm going back too," Zuko said after a moment or two.

"I'll walk with you," Sokka said, challengingly.

"Actually, I'm running," Zuko smiled maliciously.

"So am I."

"With a fish in your arms?"

"Yea, unlike you, who didn't catch anything."

"I thought maybe I'd let you get the spotlight for a night or two."

"Right."

"Exactly."

"Yep."

"I'm gonna go now," Zuko said, bolting for the camp. Sokka could be heard in the background yelling something about 'being unfair' and 'cheating'. He was almost at the camp when Katara stepped in front of him, thinking he would stop. He collided with her and they tumbled to the ground. Zuko immediately lifted himself off, but she grabbed him and pulled him to her right.

"Sokka will be looking for you, and when he finds you, he won't be happy. That's why we have to stay here, away from Sokka," Katara explained.

"Are you scared of your brother?" he asked.

"No, I need to wait until we know that my brother isn't looking for us."

"Okay," Zuko said, easing himself up. He leaned back against a tree. Katara opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it. They listened hard, but all they could hear was their breathing and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.

"I think we are safe now," Katara said, sitting up on her elbows. Zuko lay down next to her.

"When will you tell your brother?" Zuko asked.

"'Bout what?" Katara asked, twirling a piece of her hair. Zuko stared at her.

"Oh. Well, I don't think any time soon," she mumbled, realizing what he had meant.

"Mmm, and why not?."

"Sokka, is well, grudgy," Katara said, choosing her words carefully.

"Grudgy?"

"Yea, he holds grudges forever. And well, you have been chasing us forever. And, I don't really think he will forgive you for capturing Aang at the North Pole," Katara described her brother with love, but annoyance.

"So, he will completely disapprove?" Zuko asked slowly.

"Exactly!" Katara exclaimed, happy that Zuko was so understanding. She was hoping he would be, she didn't really want to explain it, since she wasn't quite sure herself-

"Well, who cares?" Zuko said. Katara sighed. So much for understanding.

"I do! I love Sokka, and I care what he-"

"So you are going to put yourself in his care forever, and not venture out into the real world until he decides its okay?" Zuko asked. Katara stared at him. Well when he put it that way…

"I am going back to camp," Zuko said, standing up and brushing off his pants.

"You're mad at me…"

"No, Katara, I am not."

"Yes you are. You're mad at me and you'll give me the silent treatment."

"No, I won't!" Zuko said, stomping a few feet away. He looked around, and turned back to her. She pointed him the right way towards the camp, and he stomped that way. So far, she knew Zuko had a temper, could be very passionate, is pretty care-free, and is directionally-challenged. That wasn't really much…

….

….

….

….

Everything was tense. Sokka was looking back and forth between Zuko and Katara, who were sitting next to each other, but trying their hardest to avoid looking at each other's eyes.

"Uh, what happened?" Sokka asked. He lay with his back against a rock, and his hands were behind his head.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, who had been playing with Momo.

"I mean them," Sokka said, gesuring to the pair across from him. They were emersed in their on thoughts to listen to Sokka.

"What's wrong with them?" Aang asked, oblivious to the tension.

"They aren't talking..." Sokka pointed out. Aang nodded as if he understood. He didn't.

"So?"

Sokka made an angry noise and then crossed his arms. Aang shrugged and then went back to playing with Momo.

It seemed the rock was pretty comfy, because in seconds, Sokka had drifted off to sleep, and Aang soon was drifting off.

"I am gonna go," yawn, "to sleep." Aang curled up and his deep breaths resonated through the camp. Iroh was asleep too, his snores much softer than Aang's.

Zuko stared at Katara, who's eyes were directed determidly at the fire.

"G'night," he said gruffly. He recieved no reply. He turned away and tried to get some sleep, but it wasn't until much later, that he finally dozed off.

He woke up and he saw blue. Katara was crouched next to him, and by the looks of the sky, it was still night. He turned, to get a better look at he concerned expression she wore.

"Zuko?" she whispered. His memories flashed back to he night his mother left him. He could tell Katara was doing something similar.

"What's wrong?" His stomach was tight. If he could just relax, maybe something good would come out of this conversation.

"I-I can't be with you anymore. It's just not the right time, and I..." she paused and looked down, "...I hope you can forgive me."

Zuko sat up and stared at his knees, not sure what he was feeling. He felt like the time Azula had pushed him off the roof of the palace, and although he fell without breaking anything, he had a feeling that something was going to break in this situation. He couldn't look at her, this had to be a dream. The most wonderful feeling taken away? He couldn't bare it.

"Fine," Zuko snapped and threw himself back onto the ground. He felt a kiss on his cheek and then she dissappeared. He never felt more alone. He had Uncle, and Aang and he and Sokka were almost tolerant of each other and yet he felt nothing but emptiness. He was uncomfortable, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Emotionally because he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do at this point. Physically because he never slept on his side, and the ground was really hurting his shoulder. Mentally because he wasn't sure what to think of it. He had never had a real relationship. And all because of her stupid brother's critisiscm, she woudn't accept him. He tried. He really had. And he thought he had really changed. But he would not let her have that satisfaction.

The old Zuko was back.

A/N: The long, mournful sound of a violin played in the background and wish-upon-a-fanfic read and reread her story. Her lips curved up in an almost too Azula-ish smile. She leaned her head back and laughed at the evillness of her plot. She continued to laugh at her story. What could she do next? Kill someone off? Make Aang duel with Ozai and lose? Her high-pitched laugh resonated through the house as she typed her next chapter, thinking up more ways to keep her readers on the edge of their seats. Muhahahahahahahahahaha-

"HEY!"

The laugh was cut short by a little nuisance standing in her doorway. Wish-upon-a-fanfic's brother pointed out a window. Woops, she had forgotten, her ride was here. She closed her laptop and shoved it in a backpack, not bothering to turn it off.

They only say the hard drive crashes if you move it too much. All the techno-geeks will pay for their lies. She laughed as she walked out the door. She only paused to remind her brother to do his chores, then she continued her decent down the stairs, laughing maliciously, ignoring the weird look from her mom, who was waiting in the car...

Okay, so sometimes I write what I should be doing. It helps me remember. And it's a good writing excersize...

SORRY FOR THE 9 DAY UPDATE! MY INTERNET WAS DOWN AND WE JUST NOW FIXED IT...

R and R!


	19. Chapter 19

Katara woke up the next morning, but didn't get up. What had she done last night? What was she thinking? She felt stronger feelings for him than any other person she had ever liked. Overall, she decided, she was more scared of Zuko's hatred than her brothers. She just hadn't thought about what she was doing. She lifted herself onto her elbows, and carefully avoiding Zuko's eyes (she could tell he was awake by his breathing) she knelt to pull on her shoes. She went to go and practice, to clear her mind. But she knew that wouldn't happen for a while.

Zuko watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful. He hated her for it. As if sensing his anger directed towards her, she stirred and lay awake, staring at the sky. After a minute or two, she got up and pulled on her shoes, then she walked off somewhere. He hated how she walked too. He sat up and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. He was unusually tired this morning. He hated being tired. He got up and walked over to the Avatar. He kicked him the back, gently, but still hard enough that he would wake up.

"No, Momo, I don't want ... whatever you have," the boy mumbled.

"I am not your stupid little animal friend, Avatar," Zuko spat. Aang turned over and rubbed his eyes.

"What's wrong with you, Zuko? You never wake us up like you're a snotty know-it-all unless you are troubled..."

"I am not snotty and I am not troubled. I need you to start a fire while I meditate," Zuko scowled down at him.

"Zuko, seriously. What's happened? You seem so..." Aang looked up and down him, "Normal." At this point Sokka woke up.

"Guys, could you keep it down, I am trying to get some-" Zuko whirled on him.

"You shut your mouth peasant!" Before Sokka sould respond, Zuko stalked into the woods, smoke curling from his fists.

"Peasant?" Sokka said, surprised. "He hasn't called me that in ages."

"Yea, I think something's wrong with him," Aang agreed.

"Maybe we should..." Sokka looked over at his friend, "Sleep on it?" Aang nodded gratefully and curled back into his sleeping position. Sokka sprawled out and they were asleep in mintues.

Zuko walked through the woods, ignoring the branches pulling at hs clothes. He came to a stream and took off his shirt, and he dived head-first into it, not bothering to check how deep it was, or who was down the bank, doing the same thing. Katara watched as he surfaced, and she dove under when he turned sharply. She made a small whirlpool from her mouth to the surface and breathed through it, while gripping a rock to keep herself from floating up. She lay there, letting the water stream around her, for quite some time, and after a while, she ventured to the surface. She looked downstream, and saw that he had left. She sighed, and turned to the bank, but she found that she was not alone.

"Um, hi," she said, not wanting to talk to Zuko, but not wanting to have an awkward conversation with him either. She crossed her arms to cover her underclothes. They weren't together, and she wasn't sure about the rules. They had broken them so many times...

Zuko mumbled something and then stood.

"Wait!" Katara called out, forgetting she was wearing undercothes. He turned to look at her. She searched his eyes for something, anything, but all there was was that sunset. But it wasn't her's to enjoy anymore.

"Nevermind," she breathed and waded deeper into the water.

"I'll miss you," he whispered, and continued down the stream before she could say anything. She couldn't live like this. She propelled herself from the water and she stumbled onto the bank.

"Zuko!" she called.

What was it that he had said? 'I'll miss you'? How on earth could he have been so stupid?

"Zuko!" he heard Katara shout. He turned slightly to see whether she was drowning, and he saw that she was standing on the bank. He turned to ignore her, but he saw how pretty she looked. She stood in the rays of the sun, which eluminated her skin, making her look like a spirit. Her wet hair clung to her face, and some strands had fallen out and were sticking to her cheeks. He looked around, as if looking for something more beautiful, but could not find anything. He sighed and looked up. She was walking towards him, her head down.

He waited, taking a step or two. She finally reached him. She finally looked up.

"I don't want it to be like this," she whispered.

"And you think I do?" he said angrily.

"No! It's just, can't we..." she trailed off.

"Be friends? Katara I don't want that. And if you don't want that either, then that's okay with me," Zuko lied.

"So...so you're okay with it? You're okay with us not being together? Well, fine, then I don't want to be friends either!" she turned in a huff, but he caught her forearm and whipped her around so that she was facing him.

"Friends?" he asked. She opened her mouth to speak, and Zuko couldn't stand it anymore. He leaned in to kiss her, and she wasn't sure what to do. He was so spontaneous...

"Katara? Zuko?" Sokka asked, surprised and angry. They pulled away, ashamed for being caught doing something that they were trying to avoid minutes before.

"Were you just? No way," Sokka looked to Katara, who was slowly, inching away from Zuko as if it were his fault.

"Sokka, it's my fault. I shouldn't have done that," Zuko said suddenly. Sokka sat down, his head swimming. Zuko was kissing his baby sister...

"Oh no, oh no," Sokka said. He put his head into his hands.

"You guys, are two years apart!" Sokka whispered.

"But Sokka, two years isn't-" Katara's protests were cut off.

"Shh! And... Katara! I thought you were smarter than to go around kissing people like him!"

Zuko opened his mouth, but Katara got there quicker.

"What do you mean 'people like him'? He appreciates me more than you do! And he-"

"Loves her," Zuko muttered from behind her.

Sokka shook his head

"Wait, what? No, NO. You do not love her," and he ignored the previous comment.

"First you like criminals, like Jet and that masked guy, and now, Aang's enemy? The guy has been chasing him for over a year!"

"Not anymore!" Katara said.

"And," Zuko threw in, "I'm the masked guy."

Sokka stared at him.

"What!" he yelled.  
"I can't believe it!" He stalked off into the forest, dragging Katara away by her wrist.

"Sokka, please!" she said, pulling him back. He continued to pull her, until they were out of earshot of Zuko. He whipped around to his frightened sister and he glared at her with fierce eyes.

"Katara I can't believe you! I thought you didn't like him! But it turns out you have completely betrayed everyone except your precious Zuko, who will turn his back on you and Aang anyway. I am ashamed to call you my sister!" He turned on his heel and dissappeared into the forest, leaving Katara too stunned from recent events to comprehend the worst thing that Sokka had ever said in his life.

Zuko watched as Katara and Sokka walked through the forest, and soon he couldn't see them. He sat down. What had he done? He should have listened to her when she told him the danger of having a relationship like their's. As always, she was the smarter one. And he had probably killed his relationship with her and the rest of the group. And because of that, he hated himself. He had ruined Katara's relationships too. Why was it that he screwed up everything? He was sure it would be different this time, but he was wrong. Wherever he went, he messed things up, and now he was messing other people's lives too. He lay his head in his hands. What was he still doing here? He had to move. He had to find Katara. He had to find the rest of the group and stand up for her. It was his fault. He had kissed her. She shouldn't be ridiculed for something she didn't do. She deserved at least that.

Katara heard a rustling behind her, but she ignored it. She sat, staring at the ground as it blurred from her tears. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her throat was so constricted she could barely breath. She hiccupped from crying for so long. She heard someone sit down beside her and she glanced over without them noticing. It was Zuko. She couldn't help but shiver. She looked the opposite direction. She opened her mouth and let a squeak come out. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time, managing a whisper.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I want to be," Zuko said. She glanced over at him and saw the ashamed look on her face.

"You can't be here," she said angrily. She stood up and crashed through the forest, bending the water from her face. She burst into the camp sooner than she expected, and when she looked around she saw that only Aang and Iroh were there.

"Where's Sokka?" she said in an overly-loud voice. Iroh looked up and chuckled.

"He went looking for you. Did he find you?"

Katara sniffed.

"Yes!" she burst out and turned to run back into the forest, ignoring Aang's questions. Sokka wouldn't hate her so much if their wasn't a war. She angrily ran faster, ignoring her protesting lungs. She changed course and she ran smack into someone.

"Katara?" she looked up. Oh.

"Sokka..." she frowned and she looked back down. He saw her face and he suddenly felt more guilty than he'd ever felt before.

"C'mon, let's talk." He took her forearm gently and guided her to a small clearing. Sokka pulled his sobbing sister down and they sat in silence for a long, long moment.

"Look, Katara, it's not that I don't like you being with other guys, its that it's Zuko! He has chased Aang forever, and it just seems, well, awkward and wrong for you to be with him," Sokka said, not sure if those were the right words at that particular moment.

"Sokka, but, I really like him. And that should be enough for you too!"

Sokka could not let his baby sister fall in love with that... that monster!

"I forbid you to see him," Sokka suddenly told her. She stared at him, amazed at his boldness. And then she immediately stood up.

"You think you are just like Dad but you're not! You are just my brother and you will never be in charge of me!" she turned and stalked away, realizing that she had run away from a lot more today than she should have. Sokka stared after her, wishing he hadn't been so straight-forward about it. He was determined though. He had to save her from herself. He stood and brushed the dust from his pants. He would just have to go sraight to the source.

Katara, Aang, Zuko and Iroh sat back at camp. Katara was busily giving the ground a deadly glare, and Zuko was staring at her with a pained look in his eyes. Aang looked confused and he looked between them, wondering if they had had another fight. Iroh smiled to himself for unknown reasons, that made Aang even more confused. Sokka entered the camp, without looking at anyone except Zuko. Katara tried to catch his eye to give the ground a break, but he walked over towards Zuko and grabbed his arm. Zuko, not wanting problems, followed him. He looked back at Katara as he was guided into the forest, and saw she had new tears streaming down her angry face. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Sokka turned to look at Zuko, and saw a concerned look on his face, directed towards his sister. It really seemed...sincere, and true. Sokka ignored his heart and focused on his mind.

"So, Zuko. I thought we could have a little talk about the future," Sokka said, trying to get Zuko to look at him.

"Do you know I am older than you?" Zuko asked, looking at Sokka's hand annoyingly.

"Yes, but who is more mature?" Sokka asked.

"Me."

The water-tribe boy ground his teeth and finally found a suitable place for talking. He let go of Zuko. Zuko hid his nervousness, trying to look open-minded about being led into the forest, alone, with this psychotic and over-protective loony.

"So, about the future."

Oh lord, Zuko thought, expecting the worst.

"Okay..." Zuko said. Sokka took that as "please continue", which happened to be exactly the opposite of what the fire bender was really thinking.

"My sister, is not what you think she is..." Sokka explained. "And that means, you cannot touch her. I will not allow you two to be together for my own, fair, and smarter ideas."

Zuko opened his mouth to protest, then thought of what Katara would want. What she needs most: a family, not a boyfriend.

"Okay," Zuko choked out. Sokka opened his mouth to continue, but stopped. Okay? Did he just say okay?

"What?" Sokka asked, confused and unsure of what he had just heard. It was way too easy.

"I said, 'okay'. I know Katara needs you guys more than me. So I will stay away from her." And with that Zuko turned to march , not sure of what he just did, back to camp.

A/N: I know you all are screaming at me: "WISH UPON A FANFIC? ARE YOU CRAZY?" But don't worry I am nice, and I will explain in later chapters. But I have a bit of bad news... I am leaving for vacation tonight, and it'll be about nine days from now that I will post the next chapter, but believe me, it is good. I think. Well, I think it's good. So, maybe it's good to people that are like me, but for other much more philipsophical words like thy, and ritsy, and art, not as in the drawing kind, but as in the Art thou come thy with thee?. Well, I will stop rambling now, so I will just leave you with this little clip, of my name, to better explain my mysterious or not so mysterious background:

In a simple girl's mind, she believes that a cloud, is not only filled with dust and water droplets, but of a journey. A cloud could take you wherever you want to go. It sees the sand dunes, and the moon-lit hills, and it sees tall buildings, with lights on, showing the hardest of workers. It sees grief, and it sees happiness. It sees life, pulsing through the world, ending no where but beginning everywhere. A cloud, should not be looked on, as something that will bring rain, and sadness, but something that will bring a million wishes, that will pour down onto the world, so the earth can soak them up and grant them to the souls that have wished the hardest.

But who is to say, what a cloud really is? A scientist? A philosopher? The world's smartest man, or the world's brightest woman? I wouldn't know, because, my mind is owned by a simple minded girl.

Oh my God I am good. Okay, so I was in a writers mood and I just got out of a writer's block (the worst time period for me) and I needed to write. As they say in Rome:

There's no such phrase, starting with 'as they say in Rome'.

Life's too short to become a hyprocrite. Open your mind. Live life to it's fullest.


	20. Chapter 20

Zuko walked into the camp and sat down in his usual shady spot. He averted Aang and Iroh's eyes, and he didn't bother trying to catch Katara's. She was attempting to do the same thing. A couple of minutes passed, and finally Aang piped up.

"So, where's Sokka?"

No answer. He tried again.

"What's for dinner Katara?" he asked cheerily.

Silence. Iroh stood up.

"I will fix dinner. I am old and weak, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve for catching fish. Nephew, would you like to start a fire?" he asked.

"No," Zuko muttered, but Iroh ignored it.

"Thank you, my young nephew. I will be back shortly." He waddled out of the camp and dissappeared. Aang looked around.

"I think I will go find Sokka," he said and stood up, eager to leave the never-ending tension.

"The Avatar is going the wrong way," Zuko observed.

"He's just a kid," Katara said defensively.

"He's the Avatar, that's why I called him the Avatar," Zuko snapped.

"Well, no one calls him that. His name is Aang!" Katara burst out, not able to contain her anger towards him. Everything would be fine if he hadn't of kissed her.

"Well, your little Aang, needs to learn to be more mature! He has to save the world one day!" Zuko yelled at her, also loosing his patience.

"Mature?" Katara yelled dangerously, " You are the one who has no self-control, and yells at innocent people, and you-you're the one who ruins people's lives!"

She crossed her arms and turned her head to look away, but Zuko couldn't look away. He ruined people's lives? Where did that come from?

"Fine," he whispered to her, "I will just leave you alone to your own life. I am sorry I ever thought of you as being imortant to me." Then, Zuko stormed out of the camp, leaving a hurt and stung Katara to think about what had just transpired.

"Imortant?" she whispered.

The next day was supposed to be fresh and new, but last night's fight still hung in the air, and glares were passed between everyone but Iroh and Aang, who enjoyed trying to make pleasant conversations between the three feuding teens.

"So, lovely weather today, huh Iroh?" Aang pointed out. Iroh nodded.

"Yes, I am surprised. It's amazing that it's been like this for a couple of weeks now. Remember that storm we were in Zuko? Oh, you were there too, weren't you young Avatar?" Aang nodded, recalling his first view of an eye of a storm.

"It was amazing. All the turmoil and havoc, and there was one small place in the whole storm that was quiet and peaceful," Aang went into a dreamy state, and Iroh looked as if he were too. Aang jolted away and knelt down. He listened for a while.

"We need to change course," he stated.

"Why? We've been going this way for a while now," Sokka pointed out.

"Well, according to the trees, we are going to be there today," Aang said happily.

"I doubt it Aang," Katara said glumly. "It doesn't look like we are anywhere near civilization."

"I agree," Zuko said, reluctantly. Sokka and Katara glared at him for speaking. He boldly continued on.

"But, if we are to continue this way, we will reach mountains. There is a small cliff that I found and-"

"You found a cliff and you didn't tell us?" Sokka yelled, clenching his fists.

"Uh, Sokka, it's not a big deal," Aang said. "It's just a cliff."

Sokka huffed and walked forward, leaving them behind.

"We need to go... that direction," Aang said, pointing towards a dense place.

"But, that's off the road," Katara complained.

"Yea, but we need to listen to the trees," Aang said, shrugging. He turned to guide the rest back through the forest, but they heard a yelp . "Sokka!" Katara moaned. She dropped her pack and ran down the road. He couldn't have gone far...

Sokka stood, waving his arms up and down. Katara stopped running when she saw he wasn't hurt and cursed herself for wasting energy.

"Sokka, I was worried that you were hurt!" Katara said, finally reaching him.

"No time for that, look at this!" he said, and started climbing up a tree. She reluctantly followed, waving towards the rest of the group.

"Look at that city!" Sokka said, pointing. Katara followed to where he was pointing. A large stone wall surrounded it, but from the aerial spot that Sokka had found, you could see the bustling shoppers and the... well, the life that surrounded it!

"Sokka, look at it!" she gasped. He rolled his eyes.

"You have a lot of weird phrases. And by weird, I mean stupid. Like those pirates, 'I don't think these pirates want to trade with us!' That was lame Katara, really lame. And that one time-"

But she had ignored him. The city was so big! She imagined finally taking a real bath. And sleeping in a bed.  
"-And that one time, when you... Katara? Where are you going?" Sokka looked down to see his sister eagerly climbing down the tree. He followed.

"Guys, the city is so close!" Katara squealed. Aang smiled. He was happy to see his friend happy.

"Well, let's go!" Sokka said. The three walked forward, and Zuko watched as they all smiled and laughed. Suddenly jealous, he trudgd forward to join them. Iroh gripped his nephew's arm.

"They have not been a trio in a long time. Let them enjoy this moment," Iroh said. He waited until they were pretty far away, then gestured for them to walk. Zuko hated that this was how they were to begin their journey, and how they would end it.

They walked up to the huge gates, all three silent, enjoying the awe-inspiring view of the earth city's wall. Zuko and Iroh joined them a couple moments later.

"Well... what are we supposed to do now?" Zuko asked. Sokka, Katara and even Aang glared at him for ruining the moment.

"Well," Aang sighed, "I guess I could jump up there." He measured the wall, and then he walked a ways back, motioning for everyone to move aside.

"Is he really going to try and walk up the wall?" Iroh asked. Zuko shrugged, entranced by the boy's courage.

"Okay. Here I go!" Aang yelled. And he charged at the wall. Zuko watched in slow motion as the boy ran up he wall, making it about five feet using a gust of wind, and then did a backwards summersault in the air, landing in his original position.

"Woah," he said, as Katara and Sokka rushed over to him. "I don't think I'll do that again..." He shook his head, and then rubbed his chin in thought.

"Well, what else do you want to try?" Sokka asked. Aang looked at him, and studied the boomerang strapped to his back.

"Why don't you try throwing your boomerang into the city to get someones attention?" he asked. Zuko shook his head. It would never work.

"That could work," Katara said. Altough it dripped with sarcasm, Sokka and Aang nodded to each other. Sokka pulled it from behind his head and he aimed, and swung with all his might. It glinted in the sun and flew over the wall. They waited. And waited.

"Aw man!" Sokka moaned. "That was my only boomerang!"

"Wait! Look, it's coming back!" Iroh said, pointing towards the sky. Zuko briefly remembered the first time he was hit with the boomerang at the South Pole. He made sure to move out of it's path. It landed in the dirt, and Sokka picked it up. A note was attatched to it. He quickly read it, then handed it to Katara.

"It says we have to state our business here and yadda yadda yadda," Sokka said, while his sister read it too. Zuko pulled the boomerang out of the ground and noticed small ink pen. He pulled it off along with the tack used to stick the note and the pen to the boomerang. He handed it to Katara and they caught each other's eyes.

"So," Sokka said loudly. They both blinked and then Zuko dropped his hand. Katara looked down, hiding the sudden blood that was rushing to her cheeks. She scribbled 'Avatar and companions looking for master Sanjiv.' She thought about anything else to put on it.

"Hey," Sokka said suddenly, "Are you sure this is the city?"

"Yea, I am pretty sure. Beijing was it's name? Yea, I think it is," Aang said, looking around.

"I don't see any signs," Sokka said doubtfully.

"Aang will know when he knows he knows," Iroh said, trying to sound wise to get their attention. It came out as a mixture of random words, and they all just stared at him.

"Please continue," Iroh said, bowing his head. He had long since given up the feeling of embarrasment.

"Okay, well, worst case scenario," Aang said, thinking, "It couldn't be Beijing and we could completely end up in a fire nation city, in the middle...of... the earth kingdom?"

"That could pass as the stupidest scenario ever," Zuko mumbled.

"My worst case scenario would be that we walked freely into the city, then were captured and we were locked in jail and Sozan's comet came and went and we grew old and we died, alone, in the jail," Katara said.

"Well, don't you think they would have captured us by now?" Aang asked.

"Excellent idea," a voice said from behind them. The teenagers slowly turned to see a whole row of earth benders, and one leader, standing much like Zhao would, hands behind his back, legs spread apart. Aang reacted the quickest of them.

"Please! We come here in peace. I am the Avatar," Zuko snorted. _No one ever calls him Avatar._ "I am here to speak to earth bending master, Sanjiv."

A soldier stepped forward and talked softly to his leader, who nodded. The soldier ran back into the city.

"I have sent a warrior to speak to Sanjiv. I do not think he will see you though. He..." the man paused, choosing his words thoughtfully, "He did not expect you to make it here for a couple of weeks."

"Weeks?" Katara muttered to Aang.

"He has no idea who I am and how strong I am. I understand," Aang said. Katara shook her head. Always optimistic. They watched as the soldier came panting back. Whispering to his leader again. The man nodded.

"You will stay here, in the city, until Sanjiv is sure that you are ready," he explained. He spread his hands wide and said a little too loudly for the small group:

"Welcome to Beijing! We are your humble servants! Please follow me!" he gestured to the city, and the soldiers parted. Sokka stepped forward and marched proudly. Aang and Iroh followed, and Sokka being too caught up in marching, didn't notice that Katara and Zuko walked together, but not as close as they would have if they were still 'together'. Zuko scowled at the soldiers as he looked , all staring forward, all except one.

Katara glanced up at the soldiers as she walked through the gates. They all looked so... serious. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and she felt someone watching her. She looked up again and saw that there was one earth bender who was staring at Zuko. He smiled. Huh? What was that? Zuko was friends with an earth bender? Then she realized that he was smiling at her... Oh. She smiled back, uncertainly, and blushed. He was kind of handsome. She blushed even fiercer and kept her eyes down. She couldn't, she still liked Zuko right? She recalled their last conversation. He was such a jerk... She looked back at the soldier. He was a bender. She wondered how powerful he was...

Zuko glanced at Katara, who was blushing and he looked up to see the soldier smiling at her, also a little red in the cheeks. He looked about Zuko's age. The prince hated him. How dare he smile at Katara? They were still, kind of, together, right? He glanced at her, and just soon enough for the soldier to notice, Zuko grabbed Katara's waist and pulled her towards him. He looked up as he walked through, and the soldier was staring wide-eyed, not so smiley anymore.

Katara felt something warm on her waist and she looked down to see a pale hand on her hip. What? Zuko? She grabbed it and twisted it. Then she let it go as she whipped around to face him.

"What was that?" she yelled. He stared at her, rubbing his wrist.

"I don't know what you are talking about," and with that, he walked forward to join the rest of the group.

They were each given a room, and though they weren't as spacious as the ones in Ba Seng Se, they each had a bed. And that was all that mattered to the five of them. Sokka wanted to eat. Iroh wanted to explore. Katara needed to talk to Zuko. Zuko needed to talk to Katara, and Aang wanted to go see Sanjiv. They all seperated, Katara saying she was going to take a nap, and Zuko saying he just needed to think. They both went to their rooms. As soon as they heard the footsteps die away, they burst out of their room's and slammed into each other.

"What do you think you are doing?" they yelled at each other simultaneously. Zuko recovered first, pulling himself up off the ground. He offered her a hand, but she ignored it. She pulled herself off and pushed him, barely making him move, but scaring him enough to satisfy her.

"You're a jerk!" she informed him. He continued to stare at her. "We aren't together anymore, so don't...do anthing that makes it seem like we are together. Got it?" Without an answer she turned to go back into her room. She stopped in her doorway and glanced back at him, waiting.

"You-you aren't going to stop me?" she whispered.

"I think I have given up chasing you," Zuko replied. He locked eyes with her for a moment, then went back to his room and quietly closed the door. Katara turned to look at her room, but it was blurred with tears. She wiped them on her sleeve and wandered outside. She walked out and blinked from the sun spots dancing in front of her. She looked around and saw someone leaning against he building. Her stomach jumped. It was the earth bending boy who had smiled at her! She turned to walk away. She couldn't get tangled up in that again.

"Excuse me miss?" She wished it was him. Someone stepped in front of her. It was the boy.

"My name is Keiji, and I had a propostition for you," he smiled and held out his arm. "I would like to be your personal tour guide for today." He looked so happy to see her, she couldn't help but flirt.

"What's the catch?" she asked. He lowered his arm and thought.

"I will accompany you, if you... tell me about your adventures. Traveling with the Avatar I'll bet you have a lot to tell," he said, offering his arm again. She linked her arm around his.

"Well my name is Katara..."

Zuko stared out of his small window. He liked his room, but he hated this window. It was too small. He deserved better. He watched as villagers passed by with baskets of odds and ends. Then he saw some blue against the brown and greens and his heart leapt. He watched, slowly getting angrier and angrier as that earth bending boy offered his arm to her. Zuko prayed she would decline whatever offer he was giving her. As if in slow motion, she reached out and pulled her arm through, and she smiled and laughed at something he said. Zuko clenched his teeth in fury. He stared at them as they walked out of sight. He clenched and unclenched his fists. He sat down and took deep breaths. When he finally calmed down, he decided he needed to get away. He walked out of his room, and stared at her door. He couldn't take this... A maid walked in front of him.

"Pardon me," she muttered. He just had to know.

"Excuse me, do you know how long we are staying here?" Zuko asked. The maid thought for a second.

"I think Sanjiv's wishes are for you to stay here at least a month." Zuko stared at her, and she slowly backed away and hurried off to do her chores.

Zuko had to watch his love fall into another man's arms. For a whole month.

A/N: Okay so originally, this was going to be the ending of this story, but my sister read it and she just shook her head. She usually smiles and says it's good, and then gives me some pointers. But this time, she just shook her head. Then she told me, "Taylor, you cannot do that. Do you know how many people would hate you?" So she convinced me to write until everything evened out... so I dedicate this chapter to dream royale, my sis, my editor, and more importantly, my savior. Here's to you dream royale! ;)

(hope you're not dead!)


	21. Chapter 21

Katara wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but it felt...right. She looked up at Keiji, who was pointing out different shops she might like.

"-and that one is an antique store. It imports all kinds of things. My mother used to go there every day and look for new things they had brought in."

"She, used to?" Katara asked, timidly.

"Yea, she doesn't anymore. My dad made her stop. Our house was so full of antiques, she could have opened up her own shop!" He lauged, and Katara grinned. He turned around to wave at someone and Katara let out a sigh of relief when he turned. She didn't want him to suffer like she did.

"Katara!" She looked up and saw Sokka running to her. She dropped Keiji's arm and luckily, he caught on. She plastered on a smile and waved to her brother.

"Hey Katara," he said, finally reaching them. Immediately, Keiji stepped up to Sokka and held out his hand.

"I'm Keiji. I noticed you wore a boomerang?" Sokka looked surprised at this, and then he grabbed Keiji's hand and shook it like he would a long-lost friend.

"Sokka, Southern Water Tribe, and yes, I do have a boomerang strapped to my back... made of seal bone and painted by one of the best Southern Water Tribe Warriors," and they walked forward, deep in covnersation about different techniques and different kinds. Katara couldn't help but notice the glint of excitement in Keiji's eyes. She let them wander ahead and she walked around the main street, looking at the different vendors, who all offered her samples. Everything she tried, she liked. A lady offered her a whole apple, and Katara nodded, thanking her over and over. Such generosity was not to be found in Ba Seng Se...

"Are you... having fun?" a voice asked behind her. She glanced behind her, knowing who it was. Zuko.

"Will you leave me alone?" she said angrily. She attempted to walk away, but he followed.

"Can we talk about something?" he asked.

"About what? What an idiot you are?" she asked, whipping around. She noticed he was gazing at something across the street. She followed it, and saw Sokka and Keiji pointing in a window.

"Him," Zuko said, turning to look at her again.

"It's nothing. We're just friends," she said, blushing a little. She turned back around, but walking a little slower this time. "But... he is kinda cute," she mumbled to herself, just loud enough for him to hear. Zuko shrugged.

"Okay, just wondering." He started to walk away, smirking.

"You-you're okay with me liking him?" she said, turning around.

"Yea, it didn't take long for me to get over you. After all, it was just a little fling, right?"

He turned and walked away, but Katara's mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about his eyes. How... hurt they looked...

A little fling?

They all met again for a nice big lunch. No jerkey or recently picked berries were in sight, and in their place was beautifully cut hams, and perfectly rounded loaves of bread, and fruits of all sorts, some the group couldn't even name. Immediately, their troubled thoughts were pushed aside. Aang forgot about his failure in finding Sanjiv, Katara's confused thoughts about Zuko were forgotten, and Zuko's confused look was replaced with a content and hungry look. Katara briefly wondered whether he enjoyed the food more than her. He had been pretty mad at the market that day. She absently pushed Momo's paw aside from reaching her plate. She looked down and something clicked.

"Where's Appa?" she asked.

"Oh," Aang said, although him saying anything was pretty impossible through the food shoved in his face, "He ish at the shtables."

Katara nodded, not wanting him to continue. She didn't want him to choke or anything. She looked up at Zuko. They caught each other's gaze, and she looked away first. She felt his eyes linger on her for a while longer, and she felt like smacking him. What gave him the thought that he could stilll look at her? He didn't deserve it after his smart comment earlier...

"So, Sokka, how do you like Keiji?" she asked, poking at her food with a fork, trying to hide her evil grin. The air suddenly got tense as Zuko stopped eating and looked up to stare at her.

"He is great! He knows a lot about boomerangs, almost as much as me, but you know how it is, I have had all these years, and him being so busy ya know." Sokka seemed really enthusiastic.

"Busy? What's he been busy with?" Katara asked, forgetting her little game. Sokka looked up and stared at her for a second.

"Oh, well, he is going to war in a couple of weeks," Sokka explained slowly, "He has been planning it for all of his life."

Katara stood up immediately. "Excuse me," she whispered. She sorely wished she hadn't had asked Sokka about it. Did everyone have to be apart of this war? She turned on her heel and walked into the courtyard. They watched as she sat down on a bench and stared at the ground.

"Girls," Sokka muttered and he and Aang went into a deep conversation about a new topic, and Iroh continued to eat. Only Zuko noticed the slow and steady fall of Katara's tears.

Katara made a mental list of things to hate:

The world, Ozai, her judgement, Zuko, she hated a lot of things at that moment. She heard a door slide open, and then she hated Zuko even more.

"Go away. Don't you know that I don't find you comforting? You are just some annoying jerk who is...annoying me more than every other jerk does. That makes you on top of my list," she hated how he ignored her.

"I know I'm not comforting, and I know I'm an annoying jerk, but I thought I could maybe change that. And before you say no," Katara closed her mouth, "I want you to listen." He sat down next to her, and she looked down. She had lied. He was kinda still comforting. She couldn't help but open up slightly.

"Katara, I'm sorry. I really mean it too. I wish," he paused and looked away, ashamed.

"You wish what?" she pressed.

"I wish our circumstances were different. I wish I would have done it differently. I missed you," he whispered. He really was apologizing!

"Missed?" Katara whispered. He looked up at her.

"I wish I could still want you, but I'm smart and I know what's best for both of us. I know I can't... be with you ever again," Katara looked up as he said this, "Keiji seems like a nice guy."

"Yea, I think he is," Katara whispered, her lips aching for his. Zuko shook his head and stood up before she could tell him anything. Like how she still loved him. How she wished their circumstances were different too. How good he looked when he was concerned.

"No more Katara. You are lying to me and yourself," he opened his mouth to say something else, and she noticed his hand twitch as if he wanted to reach out to her. He shook his head and turned without a backward glance.

Katara leaned back and stared up at the sky.

"Boys..."

There was a soft knock on Katara's door, and she hopped out of bed to open it. Then she heard the three words that would start their next journey.

"Uncle is sick." She stared at Zuko for a long, hard moment. He was her friend. Friends were allowed to help friends right? She pulled on a robe.

"Sick? What do you mean sick?" she asked as he shuffled uncomfortably. She was in her pajamas...

"He has a temperature and a nurse said it was slowly increasing. He is coughing and... I don't know what to do." Katara nodded and started to walk around Zuko to his room, but he stopped her.

"Thanks Katara," he whispered and she looked down, removing his hand from her arm.

"I'm not doing this for you, it's for Iroh."

"I need a cool rag and I need... water." The nurse nodded and went off, leaving Zuko and Katara alone for the first time since they sat on that bench, which was a week ago.

"Where's Sokka and Aang?" Katara asked nervously.

"Sokka bit me and Aang told me to ask you for help," Zuko said, relieved she wasn't asking him other, more annoying questions.

"Sokka... bit you? Nevermind, I don't want to know." She frowned at Iroh who was now shifting. Zuko walked over to him, and Katara couldn't help but see how worried he looked.

"Uncle?" Zuko whispered. Iroh looked up at his dear nephew.

"Lu Ten! Are you ready to go fishing? The key is to find the perfect spot on the lake," Iroh smiled up at Zuko, who was looking quite horrified.

"No, Uncle, it's me, Zuko. You're nephew?"

"Zuko? Oh, I am sorry, it is almost healed. Why aren't you packing? We are to leave for our trip in a few days, and..." Iroh looked up at him, smile fading, and he grabbed Zuko's wrist. "You look so much like hm, Zuko. But promise me you won't be..." Iroh's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell asleep, Zuko with a horrified look on his face.

"Uncle? Uncle!" Zuko called, dropping to his knees. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"He's just sleeping," Katara said softly. He lay his forehead on the bed and shut his eyes.

"Why? Why did you leave me?" Zuko called softly.

"He's just resting Zuko..." she said, sitting next to him.

"No, you," Zuko said, turning to look at her. She gave him a shocked look.

"Zuko I didn't-"

"I love you Katara, and you, you threw me away! Didn't you feel anything for me?" His voice raised slightly at the last part in a desperate attempt to make her understand. She still gave him the same shocked look.

"Zuko, I don't think-"

"You're right, you don't think. You didn't stop to consider that I loved you and treated you with so much more are than I thought I was capable of. You never considered that I wanted to comfort you as much as possible, even after you decided to hate me!"

"I don't hate you!"

"Oh really, why? Isn't that what happen's? Why don't you hate me for doing the right thing?"

"Because..." she stood and threw her arms into the air in frustration. "I love you too, you idiot!"

Zuko's mouth dropped open and his eyebrows shot up. The maid walked in and saw the frazzled pair.

"Should I leave?" she asked quietly.

"No, we were just going to take a walk," Zuko said, never looking away from Katara's wild eyes. He stood and grabbed Katara's hand. The maid nodded and watched as they left.

"Young love," she whispered, shaking her head.

A/N: Kudos to whoever knows what one of the lines I used is from. This chapter is dedicated for a reader (and a friend): zoebabii328. Thank you for the support and the love, and, well.

YOU ROCK!

Thanks to everyone who reads!

Thank you Mike, for creating Avatar, and thanks to all the writers (can't think of their names right now) but THANK YOU!

Also, if any of you are illustrators and have a deviantArt account and like my story and would like to illustrate it, I think that would be friggin awesome, so just PM me, and I will do whatever I am supposed to do...

THANKS FOR READING!


	22. Chapter 22

Spots danced in front of Aang's eyes and he sat up, rubbing them away. He lay back down and turned on his side. He sighed and turned on his back. Then he turned to the right. His stomach growled loudly and his parched throat ached for water. He sat up again, and walked over to his window. It wasn't a great view, but it offered some comfort. He lay his hands on the ledge and he opened the window, just a crack. He breathed it in, and then kneeled to lay his head on the cold marble. He smiled to himself and then he closed his eyes, sleep taking him.

"Zuko, I still don't feel like this is right. I can't hide us from Aang and Sokka again. Especially Aang. It would... well. It would break his heart," Katara's voice wafted through Aang's window and he sat bolt upright. Who was she talking to? Zuko? She hates Zuko. He strained his ears. There was silence, and then sure enough, Zuko spoke.

"But, Katara-"

"No, please. Listen, it will never be. Never." Aang couldn't believe it. What was going on? He looked out the window and saw Zuko sitting on a bench, Katara standing in front of him. She looked really sad. Aang stood to get Sokka. This wasn't happening. He paused from walking out and watched in slow motion as Zuko stood, wrapping his arms around her.

Aang's stomach dropped and he felt a breeze start to whirl around him. He watched as Katara peered behind Zuko. She yelled something, and pushed Zuko away. He felt something bubble inside of him, waiting to explode. It only took a few seconds for him to know what to do.

He let his own directed winds push Zuko over, and before he could think of what he was doing, he was standing in front of Zuko, the prince on the ground, staring up in amazement at how strong the boy was.

He looked up as his name was being called. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zuko turn his head too.

"Aang, I'm so sorry, please, let me explain," Katara yelled as the wind around him picked up, making everything around them crash around. She prayed he wouldn't go into his Avatar state. "Aang please! Listen to me!"

Zuko watched in horror as Katara attempted to walk towards him.

"Katara! No! Get back!" he yelled through the wind. Was Aang blind? The winds could easily pick her up and kill her!

Aang watched as Zuko's expression changed from shock, to a concerned look as he watched Katara make her way towards him. The teenager reached his hand out to her as if to hold onto her. He, loved her. And as much as Aang didn't want to admit it, he appreciated Zuko for it. The banished prince had never loved before. He felt the wind die down, and he let himself realize how tired he was. He fell to the ground, and in a swirl of dust, his last thought was of Zuko hugging Katara. He loved her.

_"The important thing in life, Aang, is to accept. You must accept what the world has decided for you. You must accept whatever it has in store for you. Accepting, is the key to everything. If you accept, you will succeed." The old monk slid his tile onto a different square._

_"But Gyatso, I don't know what to accept. I'm not sure of my destiny, I'm not sure if I...if I can," Aang muttered._

_"Aang, whatever happens in the future, you will be the brightest person you can be. I have faith that you will do something wonderful one day, Aang. You will succeed at whatever you were destined to do." Aang grinned at his guaridan. He was always making everything happy for him. _

_"Well, if I am going to succeed at everything," Aang said slyly, "Then I guess I should start now!" Aang moved his piece over a couple of squares, and he smiled at an amazed Gyatso. The old monk laughed._

_"I told you you would, my young pupil," he patted Aang on his head. _

"Aang?" The boy smiled.

"Gyatso? What are-" he opened his eyes to see his four companions staring down at him with concerned looks on their faces. It all came back to him. Katara watched as his face turned to surprise to anger. He sat up and rubbed his head, everything slowly coming back. He got angrier and angrier as he remembered.

"Zuko..." Aang frowned up at him. Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

"What did you do?" Sokka asked harshly. Zuko shook his head and walked out of the room, Sokka following. Katara stared at the door as Sokka closed it, worried about her brother's _and_ her love's safety.

"Katara? Did I see you two..." he groaned and lay back onto his bed.

"Iroh, would you, give us some time alone?" Katara whispered. He nodded, and quickly left. Katara looked down at her companion.

"Aang," she whispered, not knowing what to say. His eyes flashed open and he sat up.

"Please tell me you guys weren't hugging," Aang whispered suddenly.

"Okay, we weren't _hugging,_" Katara mumbled, thinking of Zuko's lips finally embracing her own. Aang didn't get the hint.

"Katara, I... " he had always pictured them on a balcony when he told her. He had always pictured her agreeing, and them being happy together. He never pictured her in love with someone else. He decided then and there, that there would be another time. When she needed comfort, and when she was alone, when Zuko would break her heart, he would be there to save her. He would be there to mend it. And that was when he would tell her his true feelings. Not now. Not when she didn't want him. If he was to ever have a chance at winning her, it wasn't now.

"Katara, I just want you to know, that it's two against one," he smiled at her faintly. She smiled unsurely back.

"What do you mean? Two against one?"

"I mean, Iroh and I are fine if you and Zuko want to be together. I just hope you guys are happy," he smiled wider at her surprised face. He expected to feel sick at losing her, but he felt proud to have caused her happiness. He wanted that for her. He would have his time. Zuko would just have his sooner.

"Aang!" She threw her arms around him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. He smiled into her shoulder, and without her knowing it, he gave her hair the softest kiss he could possibly muster. It was just a small piece of him for her to carry, and a small piece of her for him to carry. Either way, he realized something he hadn't noticed before.

Katara's hair was soft...

Aang walked into the hall, suddenly tired from the night's activities. He rubbed his neck and looked down as he passed by Iroh. Sokka stepped in front of him, with a grin on his face. He punched his palm.

"So, what're we gonna do to him? Hang him by his fingers? Tie him to a tree and let him starve to death? What's it gonna be, Aang?" The boy looked up at his friend with a fierce look on his face. He grabbed Sokka's shirt and shoved him into the wall.

"Sokka! He's just a person! To some of us, he is our friend now! He hasn't done anything to you!" Aang let the scared Sokka go and walked to Zuko, who frowned at him. Aang looked slightly less mad when he came to him. He leaned close and whispered so only Zuko could hear.

"If you do anything to hurt her, I _will_ find you," the threat sounded childish, but Zuko knew it was deadly-serious. Zuko nodded and stuck out his hand. Aang grasped it, and stood stall despite his growing headache.

"Thank you, Aang," Zuko said, offering a small smile. Aang reluctantly returned it. He let go of Zuko's hand and turned to the crowd.

"I'm going to bed. I would really appreciate it if _no one_ disturbed me!" Aang bolted for his room before being questioned by Sokka. The door closed and left the three teenagers and Iroh alone. Iroh stretched.

"I am going to bed too. We all need our rest. I suggest you do the same thing too." He walked to his room and quietly closed his door. Sokka stared at the other two.

"So, I am guessing, he saw you two, alone, together, doing something, that he didn't like," he muttered. "And I guess, I can't do anything about it." Katara closed her mouth and raised her eyebrows.

"Sokka?"

"Yea, whatever, I'll leave you two alone." He grumpily moved to his room and closed his door too. Katara glanced up at Zuko.

"So..." he mumbled. "What about Keiji?"

Katara smiled at him, walking past him to her door. "Yea, what about Keiji?" She pecked him on the cheek and walked into her room, a triumphant smile dancing on her lips.

Zuko wasn't sure what she meant, but the kiss told all.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter and the long update. I don't think I could have written more for this particular chapter. I will tell you that there aren't very many chapters after this.. Sorry people. But I have already written another story to play after this, and then the sequel will be there when I finish up the second story. Confusing, yes, but it will be fun! R and R!

OH!

And my deviant account, I guess I should give it to you:

wish-upon-a-fanart. yar!

Mood music for this chapter:

chain me free by the matches

hollywood fix by the pink spiders.

Both wonderful songs.


	23. Chapter 23

Katara slept well that night, and by morning she felt good enough to just lay in her bed and thin., but there was't much time for that.

A knock sounded on her door and she called for ther person to come in. Iroh's head popped in.

"Miss Katara? Ah, I see you are awake," he said, entering the room. She smiled and gestured towards one of the many chairs around her room.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely, but really wondering why he would be visiting when he couldn't possibly be feeling very well.

"Ah, yes," he looked up at her with such a serious expression she started to worry.

"I wanted to thank you," he said offering a small smile.

"Oh," Katara said, smiling back, "For what?"

He glanced down at the rug in front of him.

"Zuko hasn't been a very happy young man. In fact, he had a great weight lifted off his shoulders last night. He really loves you, you know."

Katara had been picking a strand of thread from her blanket, but at the words "loves you" her head snapped up.

"Really?" she asked smiling, despite the seriousness of Iroh's tone.

"Of course. And I wanted to thank you for all that you have done for him."

She smiled wider.

"I love him back." She was slightly embarrased at saying this, but it was true.

He smiled gently at her and stood to leave.

"Iroh?" she asked.

"Mmm? Yes Miss Katara?"

"Are you feeling well?" she asked slowly. He frowned, and realization came over him.

"Oh, yes my girl. In fact, I think you would get along very well with the nurse. She is a very skilled water bender, as you are."

It dawned on Katara. The nurse was a water bender?

"Oh!" she said, blinking. The thought of another girl water bender put her in an even better mood than her current state of happiness. She glanced back up and realized that he was gone. She hopped out of bed and closed the door to get dressed.

Today, was going to be a great day.

Zuko sat on the edge of his bed, fully dressed except his shoes, pondering what happened last night.

Was it a dream?

He never had dreams so vivid. But, then again, there was a first for everything.

"Zuko?" his Uncle's voice wafted in through the door.

"Come in!" he called, sitting up.

"Nephew! You are awake!"

"Uncle, last night, it was so crazy, I should've-"

"I am healed and healthy. You should not worry! You are young and should be out mingling like a young man should!"

Zuko stared at his grinning Uncle.

"So... how did they heal you? Some kind of herbs? I have heard of a medicine that might make one overly happy-"

"I just talked to Miss Katara," his Uncle said happily, not answering his nephew's question.

"You-you what?" Zuko had been pulling on his shoes, but now he looked up sharply at his Uncle.

"I didn't say anything embarrasing!" his Uncle said, smiling. Zuko sighed inwardly.

"Do you love her?" Iroh asked slowly. Zuko looked up from tying his boots.

"Why do you ask?"

"Why do you evade the answer?" the old man asked slyly.

"I'm not!" Zuko said standing. He sighed. "I do. I think I really do."

At this he smiled. This was going to be a great day.

Iroh left Zuko and continued his way to Aang's room.

He knocked lightly and waited. The boy opened the door and rubbed his eyes.

"Oh, Iroh. Come in."

He nodded and slowly walked into the boy's room. He glanced at the young monk and sighed.

"You look... tired. Is something troubling you?"

He waited patiently for an answer while Aang took his seat on his bed, putting himself in a meditating stance.

"I was just thinking a lot last night..." he trailed off.

"About whom?" Iroh asked quietly. Aang opened one eye and studied his companion.

"Why are you asking about someone and not something?" he asked.

Iroh smiled.

"Many years, young Avatar. Many years of experience."

"In what?"

"You know what."

"I do?"

"Of course!"

"Sure, of course," Aang said, not understanding what they had just talked about. But Iroh was standing up, ready to leave.

"And, Aang," Iroh said, pausing in the doorway.

The boy looked up, ready for another weird saying.

"I am very proud of you, for what you did last night."

Aang grinned at the compliment. Maybe, just maybe, today would be a good day.

"Today is going to suck!" Sokka complained stabbing at his breakfast. He glared at Zuko.

"What did I do?" he Zuko said, setting down his fork.

"You are dating my sister, that's what you did!" Sokka said. He shoved some eggs in his mouth and glared again.

"You gave me permission," Zuko said through clenched teeth.

"Really Sokka, just drop it!" Katara said.

"I will drop it when I want to drop it!"

"And when will that be?" Iroh asked, smiling pleasantly.

"I am going to tour the town, anyone coming?" Katara asked, cutting off any other smart comments.

"I will," Zuko immediately volunteered. Katara blushed.

"Okay," she said, smiling to herself.

"I'm going to go talk to a family. They have asked my advice on something and I thought that it would be a good idea to help them out. I do a lot of the big Avatar things, but I need to learn how to do the little things too," Aang said.

"That's a good idea," Iroh said, nodding.

"Yea yea, well I'm going with him," Sokka said, jerking his thumb at Aang. He smiled.

"Thanks Sokka!" he said brightly. "What are you doing Iroh?"

"One of the maids plays Pai Sho..." he smiled and stood up.

"I guess we should be going too," Katara said, also standing. Zuko stood and waved to Aang and Sokka. Before the doors closed behind them though, Sokka caught a glimpse of Katara taking Zuko's hand. He shuddered.

They wandered through the aisles, every once in a while picking things up and laughing over something.

"This is fun," Zuko said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Yea, it is," she said smiling and kissing him on the cheek.

He missed those lips.

"Katara?" someone said from behind them. She cringed.

"Keiji! Hi!" she said, whipping around. He was wearing a weird expression and he was staring at Zuko.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"You must be Zuko," Keiji said.

"Yea, that's me," Zuko said, clenching his jaw. Katara looked from one to the other.

"We were just walking around and looking at the stands..." she said glancing at Zuko. He shook his head firmly. "...and it would be nice if you could join us."

Zuko groaned and looked away. She nudged him. "Right, Zuko?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Yea, whatever," he said, pulling her a little closer.

Keiji nodded, still confused, and walked next to Katara.

She frowned as they glared at each other over her head.

Today, was going to be a good day.

A/N: AAAAAAAAAA SORRY FOR NOT BEING THAT GREAT UPDATER WHO UPDATES EVERY DAY BUT I AM SOOOOO BUSY WITH SCHOOL STARTING AND EVERYTHING IS BAD AND I AM JUST...

I AM JUST REALLY SORRY.

This chapter is dedicated to the time 10:47 pm, because that is when I posted this... on my clock.

And again, I am just really sorry.

I feel awful.


End file.
